Blood of Skyrim
by Purple256
Summary: Onmund has achieved everything he's wanted to at this point- he's an Adept in Destruction magic, he has a tight circle of friends and mentors at the College, and he is happily married to a beautiful Breton pyromancer. But his comfortable world is now being threatened thanks to Thalmor and other threats against the College of Winterhold. This is the sequel to Fire and Lightning.
1. Warmth

_**A/N:** The sequel to Fire and Lightning is finally here! For those who are new to this series, Fire and Lightning was my first story about Onmund and his friends. It chronicled his early days at the College of Winterhold, the Eye of Magnus Disaster, and how he fell in love with and married Danielle. While that story is not a prerequisite for this sequel, it does help in understanding some of the more subtle details of this story. But either way, I hope you enjoy this new story, and please let me know what you think either via a review or PM!_

* * *

Onmund missed the warmth. As he lay awake in the hide tent, he could still hear J'zargo snoring away beside him. A cold, wintery breeze was blowing outside, and every time a gust of wind blew into the tent, he shivered. He thought about home- the warm hearth where his mother cooked venison stew and his father coming in from working outside, his breath steeped with the strong scent of mead. Onmund would be sitting in front of the fire reading his books and trying to channel magicka into his hands. A puff of frost would rise up from his fingertips and his mother, Aska, would scold him sharply, "Onmund! Don't do that in here."

"You would put those hands to better use if you helped me build that goat pen," his father, Handalf, said in a tired tone.

Onmund was used to his parents' heckling, but he quietly retracted the frost and went back to reading. And that's how life had once been for him. Normally, he rarely ever thought of home or his family. But lately, they had been on his mind more than ever. It all started when he and Danielle had made a trip down to Half-Moon Farm to visit them. He had just taken her as his bride and was ecstatic about introducing her to them for the first time. They took the carriage from Winterhold and after two days, reached the tiny village on the southern banks of Lake Ilinalta. When Onmund stepped out of the carriage with his wife, he had expected to see the village bustling with life- children running in the streets, peddlers milling about, and his family working in the large communal field. But instead, he saw a ghost town. The village was completely empty and quiet.

As Onmund and Danielle walked up the eerily-silent street, he saw that all of the crops and trees in the large field had been burned down to the ground. His family's little cottage- the home that he grew up in, was all boarded up. He remembered kicking the door down and stepping inside. Everything- the floor, the walls, the hearth, had all been stripped bare. The dining chairs were stacked up on top of the table in the corner.

The two mages stepped back outside in disbelief. Something had happened there in the village. Something had happened that had left the entire village devoid of life, and they were bound of find out what. The carriage-driver was just as surprised as they were and offered to take them to the big town of Falkreath, so there they went.

The only person there who seemed to be knowledgeable and willing to tell the mages anything was a man by the name of Dengeir the Stuhn. He had previously been the jarl of Falkreath before his nephew, Siddgeir, succeeded him, and what was interesting was that while the current jarl was a staunch supporter of the Imperials, Dengeir was a Stormcloak. However, he told the mages more information than anyone else in town could. According to him, there had been an invasion on Half-Moon Farm by the Thalmor. The fascist elven faction was bent on ridding Skyrim of all worship of Talos, and their tactic was to kill or take all suspects as prisoners. This of course greatly alarmed Onmund, and he became worried that such a terrible fate might've befallen his parents, but Dengeir comforted him by saying, "They knew beforehand that an invasion was forthcoming and probably went into hiding."

Remembering his family's abandoned home, and how neatly and orderly things had been left behind, Onmund concluded that Dengeir was probably right. His family was okay- he _hoped_ that they were okay, and that they were in hiding somewhere.

"If you want to find them, I suggest you do anything but ask the Empire for help," Dengeir told him. "If they had it their way, all of us sons and daughters of Skyrim would be driven from our homes and stripped of our freedom. They are nothing but the Thalmor's puppets."

"What _can_ we do then?" Onmund remembered asking.

"Can?" the old Nord questioned. "If you truly have the fire in you then you can join up with Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak's men. I've never met the man myself but I can tell you that _he_ has the fire and know-how to free this land from our oppressors."

There was more said during that conversation, but the rest of it was unimportant to Onmund. He and Danielle headed back up to Winterhold, but on the way, all he could think about was his missing family and what had become of them. It now made sense why they hadn't responded to his letters that he had written to them. Onmund had never met Ulfric Stormcloak, but Danielle had. When she had first come to Skyrim about a year ago, she had gotten lost in the mountains along the southern border and was captured by Imperial soldiers suspecting her of being a Stormcloak spy. Her fellow captors were three Nord men which included the Stormcloak jarl himself. One of them was killed upon their arrival in Helgen, but the other two men and Danielle escaped execution when a dragon invaded the town and wreaked havoc. Since then, Danielle had actually came to be on friendly terms with the Imperials who let her roam free after they had learned that she had only come to Skyrim to join the College of Winterhold- not overthrow the Empire.

Despite being a Nord himself and having witnessed the hostility of the Thalmor firsthand- he had even killed one with his own two hands once after being threatened, he had neither Imperial nor Stormcloak sympathies. He really could side with neither; he did not like the fact that the Empire wanted to outlaw Talos worship and oppress his people in general, but he also did not like the fact that the Stormcloaks were grossly intolerant to non-Nordic races and, to a lesser extent, mages. But now that his family's lives were possibly at stake because of the civil war, he was no longer sure how much longer he could remain on the sidelines of it.

Once again, Onmund mused over these things as J'zargo stirred awake in the tent next to him. It had been several months since the discovery of his missing family. He turned to the awakened Khajiit and asked, "You ready to head back to the College?"

"Give this one a minute or two," J'zargo replied. "He just woke up!"

Onmund and J'zargo were camping out in the mountains south of Winterhold after spending the past few days collecting alchemical ingredients in the Rift. The two Destruction Adepts had taken it upon themselves to learn Alchemy from Drevis Neloren and this was their first field-training mission.

After a few minutes, J'zargo finally got up and together, he and Onmund made the trek back up to the College, arriving there by midday. Drevis was in the Hall of Attainment, so the two students went into the hall and upon going inside, they saw that Tolfdir, Brelyna, Danielle, and a couple of others were there talking in the middle of the room.

"Ah, you've made it back!" Tolfdir exclaimed.

"Onmund!" Danielle exclaimed and ran over to him.

Upon seeing his wife, a big smile broke out upon his face and he welcomed her into his arms. They embraced tightly and then she pulled back and looked up at him with a huge smile. He had missed her so much; he had never been gone from her for this long. He wanted to kiss her so badly and just hold onto her tightly for the rest of the day, but with everyone there, they had to both let each other go for now and join their friends.

"We have a new student!" Danielle said to him.

When Onmund approached the group, he now noticed the tall stranger among them wearing Novice Robes.

"Onmund, J'zargo," Tolfdir addressed them. "This is Simon Bear-Skinner, our newest addition to the Destruction school!"

_He's a Nord!_ Onmund thought excitedly. He looked back at the new student, who removed his hood, revealing short, light brown hair and piercing, ice-blue eyes. "Nice to meet you!" Onmund exclaimed, extending his hand. "I'm Onmund."

"Well met, kinsman," Simon replied with a smile and shook his hand.

After he shook J'zargo's paw, Onmund asked him, "Where are you from?"

"Whiterun," Simon replied. "And you?"

"Falkreath," he said. "From a village called Half-Moon Farm."

"Ah, I'm from the city proper."

"How about that. So you're learning Destruction magic? What's your specialty?"

"Pyromancy."

"Ah, fun! I'm doing electromancy." Onmund was ecstatic. Ever since joining the College, he felt like the black sheep of the whole student body because he was the only Nord. Now with another Nord on campus, he no longer felt alone- not that he felt lonely, though. He had a loving wife, plenty of good friends, and a slew of mentors who liked him. But with a kinsman in his midst, he felt a new sense of belonging there at the College, and it was a great feeling. He wanted to continue getting to know Simon some more, but for the time being, there were more important things to do. Now that he was reunited with his wife, he couldn't wait to have a moment alone with her so that he could show her how much he really missed her.

He and Danielle bid Simon and the others farewell for the time being and hurried over to the Arch-Mage's Quarters. After they stepped in and closed the door behind them, Onmund gathered his wife up in his arms and began inundating her with kisses, as did she. "Oh, I've missed you!" he declared in between their kisses.

"I missed you, too," she uttered. "I thought you'd be excited to meet another Nord here, by the way. What do you think of Simon?"

Onmund slowed down with the kisses and answered quickly, "He's great. And I _am_ excited. But…" He now paused and tilted his head to kiss her along the side of her neck, "Right now I'm more excited about seeing you…"

"Mmm," she murmured, and began pulling him with all her might, trying to get him up the stairs. After all, they were still at the bottom of the stairwell right in front of the door.

He finally got the message and stumbled up the stairs after her, and when they got to the top, he lifted her up into his arms and she had to hold onto him with her legs as he carried her over to the bed. He then set her down on it and threw off his satchel before climbing on top of her and showering her with more eager kisses. They began removing each other's robes in an urgent fashion. They hadn't seen each other for several days and all of that desire that had been building up had to be released at this point. They made love wildly for several moments before collapsing together on the now-tousled blanket, their breath coming out in gasps. He gazed at his beautiful wife from where he lay exhausted. Danielle was the first and only woman he had ever shared such intimate moments with, and for him that was perfectly fine. She was his first and only love, and someone whom he had pledged to spend the rest of his life with. They had been living together in the Arch-Mage's Quarters ever since Tolfdir, the headmaster, generously gave them the quarters in order to accommodate their married life. The College still had a vacancy in the Arch-Mage position ever since Danielle had left the post months ago, but Tolfdir either saw no one fit to fill that position or just didn't have the time to select someone new. Either way, Onmund and Danielle had made the abode into their own private lovenest and enjoyed passing their free time in it together by eating sweet rolls in bed, reading each other stories, and leaving love notes for each other to find in various locations.

It was already evening and Onmund was exhausted, having traveled for the past several days. However, he was also very hungry. Danielle knew this and grabbed some food from the dining hall for her husband, for which he was very grateful. After he scarfed it all down, they changed into their nightshifts and she climbed into bed with him and he talked about his time away and she filled him in on all of the College news. After talking about the more mundane subjects they got to talking about more casual, intimate matters. At one point she asked him, "Do you have any fantasies?"

"Like what kind of fantasies?" he asked back.

"Oh, you know…" she shrugged. Biting her bottom lip, she reached out and traced his sternum down to the top edge of his shirt. Then, lowering her voice to a whisper, she continued, "Sexual fantasies."

Onmund felt his face grow warm at her question. She was his wife, and he thought by now that he was used to her straightforward way of asking questions, but this one caught him slightly by surprise since they had never really _talked_ about their lovemaking extensively before. He responded, "No. Not really. Do you?"

"Really?" she questioned incredulously. "You don't have any fantasies at all? Nothing you'd want to…_do_ to me?"

He gulped as he gazed into her obsidian-like eyes, which were shining earnestly. She was obviously probing him for something deeper but he suddenly felt very shy and didn't know what to say. So he answered, "I'd love to do _everything_ to you. I mean, not everything. Just _good_ things, of course." For some reason, he was feeling nervous, so he decided to let her do the talking now. "Do you…have any fantasies?"

"Well…" she started, her face transforming into a mischievous smile. "I think I'd like it if you…one day surprised me and took me from behind." Her mouth spread into a huge grin. "You know what I mean?"

He looked at her tentatively and slowly replied, "I…I think so. You mean, just…sneak up on you when you least suspect it?"

She nodded, gazing at him eagerly. "Without a word. I'd want you to just bend me over, grab my hair, and start fucking me."

Onmund felt his nerves bristle as she said this- it was so graphic and direct. But he had to admit, it also drove him wild to no end when she did this. For a brief moment, he brought the image of what she requested into his mind and it ended up turning him on greatly. Part of the reason was because he had never done such a thing before to her. He was used to treating her with nothing short of tenderness and respect, and even their bedroom antics, despite how urgent and rough they could be at times- especially earlier today after not seeing each other for so long, were still conducted very lovingly and affectionately. What she was proposing was so raw and animalistic- it was as if she really wanted to tap into the true Nord in him. It greatly intrigued him. Resting his hand on the curve of her hip, he said to her in a husky voice, "I can do that. Just you wait. I'll surprise you like that someday."

She grinned and said, "I _can't_ wait."

Now, he no longer felt nervous. Talking about this was getting exciting. He then asked her, "You wanna know what my fantasy is?"

She nodded vigorously.

"I've always wanted to do it in the Arcaneum," he said in a more hushed voice, as if he were afraid that someone else might hear him.

Danielle's eyes went wide and she asked, "Really? Onmund, I never thought you'd be so mischievous. Where in the Arcaneum?"

"Anywhere," he answered. "But wouldn't it be something if we did it right in Urag's work area? Like on his desk or something? Man, he would have a fit!"

She laughed incredulously and remarked, "Onmund! You really _are_ a naughty, naughty boy! And how do you propose we do that without getting caught?"

"We can't," he quickly answered. Feeling his face grow warm again, he stated, "That's why it's just a fantasy. I would _never_ have the guts to do something like that. In fact, we probably shouldn't even _think_ about doing it."

"Mmm," she replied. "That's a pretty wild fantasy, though. I like it."

"Yeah…" he said hesitantly, and then continued, "I guess I can't think of any other fantasy that we could easily make come true like yours. I feel like a terrible person for even having such a wicked fantasy."

"I don't think you're a terrible person," she said.

"No? I feel guilty, though," he admitted.

"Don't," she assured, gently caressing the side of his face. "I don't feel guilty about mine. Because I know they are just fantasies."

He managed a smile and took her hand into his own, kissing it. He knew that he wanted to be the very best husband to her, and as far as his love for her was concerned, he wanted to fulfill every fantasy that she could dream up. He then pulled her close to him and she snuggled up to him and they fell asleep that way.

* * *

_**A/N:** For those who are new to this series, Half-Moon Farm is where Onmund is from. It's nonexistent in the game but in my head-canon, it's somewhere near Half-Moon Mill. Also, Danielle is not the Dragonborn, despite having gone through the events at Helgen._

_For those who read Fire and Lightning, the mystery about Onmund's parents is finally solved. Well, sort of...their whereabouts are still unknown but now you know why they hadn't answered any of Onmund's letters._

_I won't be able to update this story on a daily basis like I did with Fire and Lightning, but I will try to keep updates to at least once a week! Because of the holiday weekend, though, expect Chapter 2 to be posted before this weekend is over!_


	2. Enemies of the College

The next morning, all of the Destruction students gathered in the Hall of Elements for their class, including Simon. Several months ago, Faralda had taken over Tolfdir's job of teaching the School of Destruction. She started off the class by informing them of an assembly after lunch at which Tolfdir was going to go over the state of affairs at the College. As far as what had been going on, Onmund had last heard that the Thalmor were making threats to shut down the College with the Empire's help and that Jarl Korir of Winterhold had suddenly taken interest in these events because he was afraid that an Imperial attack on Winterhold would be forthcoming because of this.

Ever since the Eye of Magnus Disaster, as the events of several months back was infamously called and where two Thalmor agents lost their lives as a result, the Thalmor had been pushing hard to put restrictive sanctions on the College and all of its members. However, because the College was within the boundaries of Winterhold, which was under Stormcloak control, they could do very little except send threatening letters to the College. Onmund recalled that Danielle had suffered the brunt of their threats a little when she had served for a short time as Arch-Mage. But now that Tolfdir was completely in charge, it had become his problem to deal with. Onmund felt sorry for him just imagining what he had to deal with, and that was all he could do since Tolfdir shared very little of the details. But he could see it in the elderly wizard's face- it always looked worn and tired, and his gait had become slow and weary as of late. To an extent, Onmund felt guilt for playing a part in exacerbating their relationship with the Thalmor. After all, he was the one who had murdered one of the agents. It made him shudder every time he thought back to that day outside of Labyrinthian when the Thalmor agent named Estormo threatened him and Danielle with the Staff of Magnus and completely drained both of their magicka, and out of sheer desperation, Onmund just lunged at the mer and pounded his head into the ground with his bare fists, killing him. Onmund remembered very little of the moment of the attack, itself. He had just reacted out of pure instinct and adrenaline, aware of only the imminent threat and of getting rid of it immediately. He hadn't thought of the repercussions- that he could be charged with committing a crime. But was it really a crime if he was merely defending himself and his best friend at the time? This was the question that went unanswered in his mind ever since. And ever since that day, he had kept the truth hidden. He and Danielle were the only two people in all of Tamriel who knew about the true events that had transpired. For everyone else, the accepted story was that Estormo was killed by frost trolls and had never made it to Labyrinthian.

As Onmund listened to Faralda's teachings, he tried to force away the memories and guilt and focus on the present. Soon, the students were then left alone to practice in the training hall. As Onmund and J'zargo took turns firing their spells at the absorption points along the wall, he secretly watched Danielle helping Simon with his spells. She had been designated as his peer mentor because he was a pyromancer and so was she, and Onmund smiled as he watched her walk him through the incantations and help him practice his Flame spell. He had remembered _their_ first day of training long ago, when they were both Novices, and how she had commented about how odd it was to meet a Nord wanting to learn magic. Now here she was, working with another Nord mage, and he thought with amusement, _She's outnumbered now! I wonder if she's aching to have another Breton mage join our midst?_

When the half-hour of practice time was up, Onmund went up to Simon and asked him, "Hey, would you like to join us for lunch? I was thinking of going to the Frozen Hearth."

"All right," the other Nord mage replied.

"You go on ahead," Danielle said to him. "I'm going to stay here with Brelyna."

He looked at his wife and said, "Aw, are you sure?"

She nodded. "We have some things to catch up on. I'll see you at the assembly, afterwards." She then raised her head up to give him a quick kiss on the lips before leaving him.

Disappointed that the women weren't going to accompany them, he went up to J'zargo and asked, "Hey, Stunner. We're going to the Frozen Hearth for lunch. You coming?"

"J'zargo has some things he needs to do before the assembly," the Khajiit replied. "You go on ahead."

Onmund sighed and responded, "Fine." He looked at Simon and declared, "I guess it's just you and me. The two Nords!"

Simon managed a small smile and then followed Onmund out of the College to the town inn. Simon said very little on the way and Onmund wondered if he was just a shy person. He had remembered being a little shy himself when he had first come to the College so he tried to find a way to get the guy to loosen up a little. Once inside the inn, they both sat down at a corner table and ordered some food and tea. He would've liked to drink some Ale and perhaps treat the guy to some of that or mead but he didn't want to set a bad example and get drunk during the schoolday. Times like that would be reserved for off-hours or when they were on travel.

Thus far, Onmund wasn't having much luck getting Simon to talk. He would mostly respond with one-word answers to his questions about family, where he came from, and his interest in magic. But he tried not to let it faze him as he attributed it to shyness. When Haran brought over their food, they both ate in complete silence. Their mouths were too busy to talk anyway. Onmund was amazed at how quickly and ravenously his fellow Nord ate- it reminded him of how his father used to eat after working all day. After he finished his plate of grilled salmon and leeks, he just sat quietly and turned his head every once in a while to observe his surroundings. Once Onmund was done eating and Haran took their plates away, he turned to the quiet Nord and asked him, "So, is Danielle teaching you some fire spells?"

"Yeah," he answered.

"I remember when she tried to teach _me_ Flames," he mused. "I was so afraid of setting everything on fire. But then I learned that all it took was control, just like with shock spells."

"Mmhmm," he muttered with a somewhat disinterested stare.

_I wish this guy would be a little more talkative,_ Onmund thought. _I'm not used to carrying a conversation all by myself._

Suddenly, Simon asked, "How long have you two been married?"

_Finally! Something more than a one-word sentence!_ he thought triumphantly. "Me and Danielle?" he replied. "Oh, just seven months. We met there at the College."

"Do you enjoy being married?" he asked him.

"Yes, I do," he answered. _That was kind of a strange question,_ he thought. _But, I guess he's just trying to make conversation._ Worried that he might degenerate into short, one-word answers himself, he added, "It's great being married. When you meet that special someone whom you want to spend the rest of your life with, there's nothing else you could imagine doing."

At this, Simon fell silent, and Onmund couldn't tell if he had perhaps hit a nerve with him or what, but he began to feel uncomfortable. He wasn't used to having this conversation with a guy; in fact, he knew that J'zargo would claw his own eyes out before talking about this subject with him, but he also couldn't imagine talking about this with someone he had just met. He tried to quickly change the subject. "Well! I wonder what Tolfdir is going to talk about with us when we get back. Did you already get the scoop on what's been happening with the College and the Thalmor?"

"Yeah," Simon answered, appearing interested. "The Thalmor want to shut down the College?"

"That's right," Onmund said. "Do you know why?"

"Why?"

"Because they lost two of their own as a result of the College's activities. It was their fault, though, really. One of them, Ancano, came here claiming to be an advisor, but what he really wanted was to gain control over the power of Magnus, which we had discovered...or rather _re_discovered. You know the history, right?"

He nodded.

"Anyway, the funny thing is, he really only wanted it for himself. In the end, I think he could've cared less for the welfare of his own people. But that's what ultimately led to his demise. The Eye's power ended up doing him in."

"What about the other one?"

"Other one what?"

"The other Thalmor. You said that there were two of them."

"Oh, right. Ummm…" He wasn't sure what to say. In a way, he wanted to let his fellow Skyrim brother in on the truth, but on the other hand, he knew that he had just met him so he wasn't sure how trustworthy he could be. He decided to play it safe and give him the well-known story. "The other Thalmor, Estormo- no one knew what became of him. While Ancano tried to harness the power of the Eye, Estormo went in search of another powerful artifact called the Staff of Magnus. Little did he know that we were _also_ trying to obtain it. Long story short, Estormo met a premature end out in the wilderness and we ended up obtaining the staff and stopping the Eye."

"Ha! Serves him right," Simon snorted. "Didn't the fool know better than to travel alone in Skyrim's wilderness?"

Onmund managed a laugh at Simon's comment. "I guess he didn't."

"Are the Thalmor really going to shut down the College?" he then asked. "Why do they think that Estormo's death was _our_ fault?"

At this, Onmund gulped nervously and answered slowly, "I…don't know. They're quick to pin the blame on us for anything bad because they don't trust us. But don't worry. They can't shut down the College. Being in a Stormcloak-controlled hold, we're safe from them. Barring a bloody battle, that is."

"Yeah, but the Stormcloaks don't necessarily like us, either," Simon pointed out.

"No…they don't," he admitted. "But I think they tolerate us. We _are_ part of Skyrim's history and heritage, too. But you have a point there, though. They're too busy fighting with the Imperials to pay much attention to the College at the moment, but I'm actually afraid that once this war dies down that we're going to be targeted next. Whether the rebellion triumphs or the Empire does, things don't look too good for the College in Skyrim."

"We should defend ourselves," Simon declared.

"Against whom, though?"

"The Thalmor. And everyone else who threaten to take away our freedom to practice magic and way of life."

"I don't think it's that simple, I'm afraid."

"Why not? If your way of life was being attacked, wouldn't you want to defend it and fight for it?"

"Well…yes. Of course I would." He then thought of his parents. _I'm sure my father would've said the exact same thing_, he thought. _And what would I say to him?_ "But we're not part of this war. The fight is between the Empire and the Stormcloak rebellion. College mages have no place in that."

"Why not?" Simon asked again. "The College is part of Skyrim. It's been a part of Skyrim just as long as any other city and establishment here. Why _not_ fight to protect it?"

"Tolfdir doesn't want us getting involved in local politics," Onmund explained. "We are to remain neutral. The war will resolve itself. If the College gets involved, we could end up being even _more_ hated."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," the young Nord mage quipped, crossing his arms.

"It's what our Master Wizard thinks is best," he said in a defensive tone.

An uncomfortable silence began to ensue as Simon appeared to be stewing over what was said, and Onmund had no idea what else to say. _I never would've imagined this guy getting so fired up over this subject, _he thought with amazement. _He struck me as such a quiet and docile fellow, at first. _He cleared his throat and spoke, "Well…are you ready to head back?"

"Yup," Simon responded and uncrossed his arms, getting up from the table.

Onmund followed suit and together, they walked back to the College in silence. They got back just in time for the assembly in the Hall of Elements to start. Onmund joined his wife at the outer edge of the circle and she asked, "How was lunch with Simon?"

"Oh, it was interesting," he replied. "I'll tell you about it later. But we had a good time."

"That's good," she said.

Tolfdir then took his place in the center of the circle and addressed the College's members. "I would like to bring everyone's attention to a letter that I received yesterday from Jarl Korir of Winterhold."

The room immediately erupted into a cacophony of murmuring and whispering. Everyone knew that the Nord Jarl of Winterhold was no friend of the College, either. In fact, he had been slandering the College long before the Thalmor had. So far, Onmund was not liking this development.

Tolfdir continued, "It is a long letter, so I will summarize. As we all know, Jarl Korir has been making threats against the College ever since he came to the throne, and thankfully, up until this point, they were all empty."

"Up until this _point_?!" Nirya, the Altmer Illusion student, cried, alarmed. "What is he doing now?"

"Patience, patience," Tolfdir urged. "I am getting to that now. Apparently, the Jarl has caught wind of the Thalmor's threats against the College, and as a result, has come up with a surprising proposition."

"What is it?" Sergius questioned.

"He has offered to come to our aid and _protect_ us from the Thalmor," Tolfdir stated matter-of-factly.

"What?!" Drevis cried, and the rest of the College members went into an uproar.

"Quiet, please! Quiet!" the Master Wizard yelled, waving his hands frantically. As the din started to die down, he confirmed, "That's right. Jarl Korir wants to help us."

"But he _hates_ the College," Phinis declared. "Why would he want to help us?"

In a solemn manner, Tolfdir replied, "Well, that is why I bring this matter before you, wizards and scholars of the College. We all need to give his offer careful consideration before we accept it. Now, might I remind you…we have our former Arch-Mage, Danielle Sweeting, to thank for helping us repair our relationship with the political leaders nearby. I daresay that _she_, at least, is on good terms with the jarl."

Onmund looked at his wife and smiled. _That's right,_ he remembered. _If it weren't for her, Jarl Korir might've shut us down already_! During her brief time as Arch-Mage, she had done a favor for the jarl- she had retrieved the Helm of Winterhold for him, a treasured artifact lost to the ages. No one in his court had been able to succeed in the task- only her. Granted, the jarl harbored a great disdain and distrust for her initially and had only summoned her to his court to inquire about the Eye of Magnus Disaster and the Thalmor's emergent hostilities against the College, and then sent her on the quest in order to test her loyalty. And she did it- not because she wanted to swear Stormcloak allegiance or because she wanted to prove anything to him, but purely out of the goodness of her heart and from wanting to improve relations with the College.

"All right. So the jarl wants to help us," Enthir piped up. "What's the catch?"

"There's no catch…" Tolfdir started. "He has simply offered to send some soldiers here to provide security."

"Soldiers?" Colette questioned. "As in _Stormcloak_ soldiers?"

"He wants us to side with the Stormcloaks!" Nirya cried.

"Absurd!" Colette shouted. Onmund could see that she would be incensed. For the past several months, Colette, along with her single student, Bridgette, had been training healers for the Imperial front. Their duties had since come to an end, but she never knew when she might be called back to Solitude to provide more assistance.

"Can you imagine?!" Phinis cried. "Soon we'll have Stormcloaks and Jarl Korir's henchmen swarming the College and poking their noses into our business. Pretty soon we'd end up in the same situation as we had with the Thalmor!"

The scholars continued to talk angrily and frantically among themselves as Tolfdir tried to calm them down. "Please, please! We have not agreed to _anything_ at this point. I assure you that we will _not_ be taking any sides in this political war. I and the rest of the wizards here will convene for the next few days and discuss this matter extensively. I cannot tell you what actions we recommend taking at this point, but we will try to come to a decision as quickly as possible. Time is of the essence here, and we must choose our actions carefully."

"Don't you _dare_ bow down to any Stormcloak jarls!" Colette threatened. "They hate us just as much as the Thalmor do- if not, even more because all they care about is cracking their skulls on steel and dulling their senses with mead. They don't give a lick about the arcane arts! They can't even wrap their addled brains around it. At least the Thalmor appreciate magic."

Onmund winced inwardly, knowing that Colette had just made a jab at the Nordic race. But by now, he was somewhat used to it. He knew that they didn't mean any ill feelings towards him. _Or at Simon,_ he added in his mind, glancing over at the other Nord mage, who was standing with a group of Novice Conjuration and Alteration students. _I hope he has a thick skin on him, as well, or else learn to develop it._ But the Novice student just looked on with sort of a bored expression on his face.

"We will convene here again to let the student body know of our decision," Tolfdir concluded. "Please carry on, and do not let these current events disrupt your studies."

Everyone was now free to leave, and Onmund turned towards Danielle and said to her, "Wow. Things just keep getting better and better here, don't they?"

With a serious expression, she replied, "I hope Tolfdir and the wizards do the right thing. I'd hate to see this College being shut down, or worse- being destroyed in war."

He put his hands on her shoulders and gently assured, "Don't worry. We won't get shut down. We have some of the most powerful wizards all concentrated right here on this campus. The opposition wouldn't be able to stand a chance!"

"The Thalmor have some powerful wizards in their midst, too," she pointed out. "And some of the court wizards around Skyrim have been practicing their art for years."

It was true. The College of Winterhold wasn't the only place where powerful mages resided, but Onmund tried to muster a comforting smile for his worried wife and said softly, "Nothing's going to happen to this College. Even if _I_ have to single-handedly fight off a hundred soldiers and wizards, I will do it. Because this place is our home. And this is our family."

This time, he could see Danielle's face break out into a smile. With a little chuckle, she said, "Oh, Onmund. You are such a Nord, sometimes, you know that?"

With a huge grin, he said back, "Never would've guessed it."

For the rest of the afternoon, Onmund, along with his wife and the other two Destruction Adepts discussed the latest turn of events among themselves, and by evening, it was all forgotten as everyone tended to their usual College business and studying.


	3. An Unwelcome Visitor

After dinner, Onmund and J'zargo practiced their spells together in the Hall of Elements. At one point, J'zargo asked him, "Why are Nords so pompous and vulgar? J'zargo has been trying to figure this out ever since he came to Skyrim."

"Pompous and vulgar?" Onmund questioned curiously. "Like how do you mean?" A long time ago, it was natural for him to take offense to such questions from the Khajiit, but after being friends for a while, he had learned that generalizations against Nords never included him, but were rather asked out of curiosity. Being a Nord himself but different from his kinsmen in almost every way, Onmund was the best resource for the answers to these questions so he no longer minded them.

"This one means trumpeting one's qualities so loudly and annoyingly that he does not realize that he is a mere kitten…or what do you call it in your language? A whalp?"

"You mean whelp?"

"Yes," the Khajiit replied. "And disrespecting women."

"I don't know about that," Onmund answered. "Not all Nords are disrespectful towards women."

"Well, this one knows that _you_ are not, but it seems like a lot of them are," J'zargo said. "Anyway, what does one gain from showing off and acting so pompous? Is that why they fight each other all the time?"

"Hmm, maybe," he responded. "But in my opinion, they're just being dicks." As he shot his spells toward the absorption points, he then spoke up again, "You know, I don't mean to sound dick-ish, myself, but _you_ were pretty pompous in your Novice days, I remember."

"Get out of here," J'zargo spat. "This one was not pompous."

"Oh, yeah?" Onmund teased. He then proceeded to mimic the Khajiit: "'This one will master the Expert level Destruction spells before everyone else!' Or: 'J'zargo will be Master Wizard and be in charge of the whole school! You will see!'" He then gave his friend a pointed look.

In J'zargo-like fashion, he didn't even bat an eye and responded calmly, "It is not pompous when one is merely predicting the inevitable."

Onmund laughed and shook his head. "You're impossible! So what brought up that question, anyway? You run into some pompous and vulgar Nords lately?"

"Simon, the new student," he responded.

"Simon!" Onmund exclaimed. "You don't like him?"

"No," he answered. "Not one bit. He makes Khajiit squirm."

"Really? What did he do?"

"On the second day he was here, he says, 'I learned magic to impress women. Women love magic. They will do anything you want if you show them magic.' Now, listen to J'zargo: There's nothing wrong with impressing women, especially with magic abilities, but this one is ashamed to be in the same class with this kitten because he knows nothing!"

Onmund wasn't sure he understood what his problem with Simon was still, but it made him chuckle inwardly to himself. _Sounds like he's just jealous of him,_ he guessed. _And…I don't know, but somehow I just can't imagine Simon saying something like that. But whatever. To each their own. _So far, he liked Simon. Sure, he was a little difficult to engage in conversation, but he seemed like a nice and good person. "Simon's all right," he spoke. "Maybe a little socially awkward, but weren't we all when we were new?"

"Hmph," J'zargo muttered. "You were the worst, if this one recalls."

"Hey!" Onmund shouted angrily, but he knew it was just J'zargo being J'zargo again.

They continued practicing their spells until it was close to time to go to bed, and after Onmund bid farewell to his friend, he left the training hall and headed into the Arch-Mage's Quarters. As he climbed the staircase into his and Danielle's humble abode, he wondered if she was already there yet. Whenever she got there before he did, he would find her reading or munching on some snacks. This time, though, he found her working at the Alchemy Table. She turned her head and greeted, "Hello, darling!" Putting her mortar and pestle down, she hurried over towards him.

"Hello, my love," he greeted back, and welcomed her into his arms, kissing her.

She then pulled away from him and went back to her work. She was making some magicka-replenishing potions for the College's main supply. "How was your evening?"

"Oh, pretty good," he responded, as he walked over to the bed to remove his boots. "I didn't get a chance to talk to Simon again, but I trained with J'zargo." He then got up and walked over to the wardrobe to change into his nightshift. "J'zargo doesn't like Simon."

"He doesn't?" she questioned. "Why?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "He called him 'pompous and vulgar.'"

He saw Danielle pause with her pestle in midair for a moment before continuing. It seemed like a telling gesture so Onmund asked, "What do _you_ think of him?"

"He's…unique," she replied uncertainly.

"Oh? In what way?" he asked her.

"Just…strange," she said. "I don't know how else to describe it. Don't get me wrong. He's a good student. Fast learner. Just…has an eccentric personality."

Onmund sat down on the bed and put his nightshirt on, intrigued by her description of Simon. "Eccentric, huh? He _is_ kind of quiet. Maybe he's just not used to being around a lot of people or something."

Danielle lifted her head and shook it. "Oh, no. On the contrary, he _likes_ being around lots of people. He seemed to _love_ being the center of attention among those girls in the Conjuration School. He said that they were 'fascinated with Nord mages.'"

Onmund opened his eyes wide with surprise and questioned, "Really?" He then asked no one in particular, "How come _I_ never got that kind of attention when I was a Novice?"

She gave him a wry smile and remarked in a sarcastic voice, "Oh, believe me, the girls in the Conjuration School were all _over_ you, too. Back when I was Arch-Mage, I heard all of their giggling and whispering about the 'cute Nord electromage in the Destruction School.'"

"Really?" he asked with intrigue. "They were talking about me? How come you never told me this before?"

"Because I didn't want it all to go to your head!" she retorted. "Shor knows what you would've done with that knowledge."

Onmund smiled and lay back against the pillow, resting his hands behind his head. "Yeah, but the cute Nord only had eyes for the Arch-Mage," he sighed. As he continued to watch her work, he inquired, "Don't I get credit for that, at least? Staying loyal to you?"

"Pfft, we weren't even dating at that point!" Danielle snorted. "As far as I was concerned, you could've taken as many girls as you wanted then."

"But I didn't," he said. "And that's my point. I think I deserve a _major_ reward for that." He was only teasing his wife, but he wondered what kind of response he was going to get from her.

"Hmph," she huffed, and in one fell swoop, picked up a mushroom and flung it at him. "_There's_ your reward!"

"Hey!" He laughed and raised his hands up to deflect the flying mushroom from hitting his face and it bounced off and fell into his lap. "You're being feisty, tonight!"

"_I'm_ being feisty?" she questioned, pointing to herself and giving him a pointed look. She then shook her head exasperatedly and went back to grinding her ingredients, but he could see her trying to stifle a grin.

_This is fun,_ Onmund thought as he tried to think of another way to tease her. She was just so cute when she was mad, and he knew that she wasn't _really_ mad at him, so their little game was nothing short of entertaining. He picked up the mushroom and tossed it up into the air a few times, playing catch with it. He wanted her to come to bed so that they could make love. There was just no denying it; Onmund was feeling frisky after their little exchange and he wanted to show her just how much he really loved her- how much he still loved her. But she was still hunched over the Alchemy Table wearing her Adept Robes with the hood off. He imagined that he could walk over and start undressing her, perhaps getting her in the mood, but he wasn't sure how she'd feel about that. When she was at work, he knew not to disturb her. _But…wait a minute. She told me that her greatest fantasy was to have me surprise her from behind and…just take her…_Suddenly, he got an idea. He put the mushroom away on the nightstand and got up and began making his way towards her. It wasn't until he stopped just a foot behind her when she turned her head slightly and questioned, "Onmund?" With a suspicious grin, she asked, "What are you doing?"

_I'm about to give you the surprise of your life,_ he thought with anticipation as he quickly pulled down his pants.

She then asked him again, "What are you doing?" and was about to turn her full body around to face him, but he reached out with both hands and grabbed her firmly, stopping her. He then pressed his lips on the back of her neck, kissing her roughly while still pinning both of her arms to her sides. He heard her gasp, "Onmund…" and he reached up with his right hand and firmly pushed her head forward so that she was bent over the table. He then gathered her hair up in his right hand making a ponytail out of it and gave it a gentle tug as he now began reaching down with his left hand and pulling the bottom of her robes up. Still holding onto her hair, he quickly pulled her leggings and underwear down now. He then began making love to her, and she moved her body eagerly against him, uttering sounds of pleasure.

When they finished, he let go of her hair and turned her around to kiss her.

"Onmund, that was incredible," she uttered breathlessly between kisses.

"Did I satisfy your fantasy?" he asked in a husky voice.

She gave him a dreamy look and replied, "Mmhmm." Kissing him a few more times, she finally pulled back and said, "As soon as I finish this potion, I'll come to bed."

"Mmkay," he said and let her go so that she could get back to work. He then pulled his pants back on and made his way over to the bed. He climbed in and waited for her to join him. It wasn't long before she did and she snuggled up in his arms and they fell asleep together.

Early the next morning, Onmund awoke to a loud knock on the door. It took a while for him to open his eyes and rouse himself, and he felt Danielle stir beside him. "Someone's at the door…?" she questioned groggily.

"I'll get it," he replied and quickly climbed out of bed. He heard the knocking again so he rushed toward the stairs and called out, "Who is it?"

"It's Tolfdir," he heard the old man's voice say.

_What could he want this early in the morning?_ Onmund wondered and climbed down the stairs to get the door. He opened it and saw the Master Wizard standing there. "Good morning, Tolfdir," he said tiredly. "Is everything all right?"

"I'm not sure," he replied uncertainly. "Is Danielle awake? I need to speak with her."

"I'll go get her," Onmund said and let Tolfdir inside. Tolfdir then followed him up the stairs until they got to the top. He gestured toward the benches along the wall. "Please, make yourself comfortable. I'll be right back." He then left him and made his way back to the bedroom. He found Danielle standing by the bed getting dressed and said softly to her, "Tolfdir is here and wants to speak with you."

"Oh, no. Sounds like trouble," she groaned.

"I'll just stay here if you want me to," he offered.

"No, you come, too," she insisted. As soon as she was ready, he followed her to the entryway where Tolfdir was sitting. "Good morning, Tolfdir. What brings you here?"

"I'm afraid I have a favor to ask of you," he started. "I have just been summoned to Jarl Korir's presence and I request that you accompany me."

"Really?" she questioned with surprise. "What does he want?"

"He says that a visitor from the Thalmor is there," he answered.

Danielle's face fell and she looked back up at Onmund, who gave her a similar dreaded look. "Then, let us go at once," she urged. "Can Onmund come, too?"

"Well…" he started and looked at Onmund. "I suppose he can." He then looked back at Danielle and said, "Please, both of you get dressed quickly. I will be downstairs."

"Understood," Onmund replied and Tolfdir left them. He and Danielle then rushed to get dressed in their Adept Robes. They then hurried down the stairs and met Tolfdir in the foyer of the Hall of Elements.

"Ready?" Tolfdir asked.

Both Onmund and Danielle nodded.

"Remember, we are not to agree to _anything_ at this point," he declared. "We just want to find out what this Thalmor wants."

"Right," Onmund and Danielle responded. They then followed their headmaster out of the College and into town. When they got to the Jarl's Longhouse, they all stepped inside.

"Tolfdir, Danielle. Please come on in," the Jarl said.

The three mages removed their hoods and a guard at the door escorted them forward. Onmund had never met the Jarl of Winterhold before. He had long red hair, blue eyes, and some facial hair and looked at them with a solemn expression. There was a Thalmor Wizard standing next to him between two guards.

"Danielle, it's good to see you again," Jarl Korir remarked as he looked at the former Arch-Mage.

"I thought it would be good to come here with Tolfdir," she said.

"That was probably wise," the jarl said. He then looked at Onmund and back at Danielle. "And who's this? Is this the Nord mage you once told me about?"

Danielle smiled sheepishly and nodded. "Yes. This is my husband, Onmund."

Jarl Korir looked back at him and acknowledged him. "Welcome."

Onmund smiled nervously and replied, "I am honored."

Just then, the Thalmor Wizard cleared his throat and asked impatiently, "Can we please get on to the urgent business at hand?"

At this, Jarl Korir waved his hand dismissively and said, "Of course, of course. Allow me to introduce you to our visitor. His name is Fenderon." Without even looking at the Altmer, he said in a bored tone, "Tell them what you came here for."

With an impatient scowl Fenderon spoke, "There is a mysterious disturbance near Solitude of magical origins. It appears to be a rupture, and the powers that emanate from it are wreaking havoc on everything around it! I came to ask if the College knows or has anything to do with this!"

"What say you?" Jarl Korir asked Tolfdir.

With his expression set, Tolfdir replied in a calm manner, "To answer your question, yes, I _do_ know what this rupture is. It is a side effect caused by the power surge from the Eye of Magnus. The power surge causes a rupture in the boundary of Mundus and it can be quite powerful. It can wreak great havoc."

"Well, then? Did your students cause this anomaly?" Fenderon asked angrily.

"No, on the contrary," Tolfdir began. "It was caused by those who attempted to wield the power of Magnus without the proper training and knowledge. Every one of my students and colleagues had this training and knew of the dire consequences of doing so. An outsider of the College, however, would _not_ know this. And I'm afraid that this was the case in this event."

A knowing smile threatened to break out on Onmund's face, but he fought it off. _Tolfdir is sure dancing circles around this fellow,_ he thought.

"_Don't_ be dodgy with me!" Fenderon huffed. "What outsider of the College are you referring to?"

"Why, the individual who showed up unannounced on our doorstep just before these events unfolded," Tolfdir continued in his subtly smug manner. "Ancano."

The Thalmor Wizard balled up his fists and began seething. "You…you filthy, lying old man, you…"

At this point, Jarl Korir's guards drew their weapons. Onmund was worried that the wizard was going to go ballistic, but he just huffed and seethed for a moment before finally pursing his lips and changing his expression once again. "Hmph. I will not waste my time here investigating whether you speak truths or lies. If he were the only one who perished in that accident then I would be _much_ more suspicious…but contrary to what you think, I _am_ sensitive enough to the fact that two of your own had perished, as well, so I will not belabor this matter any further. No…I am here because I am aware that you have an artifact that can take care of the disturbance- a staff that can drain magicka as powerful as that of the Eye. You do still have this staff, am I right?"

"The Staff of Magnus?" Tolfdir questioned. "Why, yes, but we have no intentions of letting anyone except those who are trained properly have possession of it. In fact, we have no intentions of letting it leave the College, either."

"Formal and thorough training of the arcane arts don't take place only within _your_ walls, College wizard," Fenderon declared, responding to his insult. "Besides, you dare deny your services to patrons who are in dire need of them? I am not aware that the College has any allegiances to certain factions thus barring service to those not within said faction. Unless I am mistaken, and you have…struck up…such allegiances?" He gave the jarl sitting nearby a pointed look.

"Easy," Jarl Korir demanded in an annoyed tone. "The College remains neutral, yielding to no one and keeping to themselves, as it has for hundreds of years."

Onmund could sense the jarl's sore spot with the College in the tone of his voice, and he had to remind himself that he, Danielle, and Tolfdir were still very much alone in the world when it came to having allies.

"Then respond," Fenderon continued, gazing at Tolfdir with the same hostile look. "Respond to those in need of your services. Let us use the Staff of Magnus so that we can put a stop to this anomaly."

"If you want this anomaly taken care of then I can send a couple of sorcerers out on the field," Tolfdir responded. "_They_ will use the Staff of Magnus to take care of the problem."

With a sigh, Fenderon replied, "Oh, your insults are as feeble as your sheltered mind. And what then, if another rupture appears elsewhere in Skyrim? Are you proposing that we stand by for days while we send a courier to seek you out, crossing the frozen tundra and treacherous snow, and wait for the response, if we even get one at all…when we within the Thalmor travel regularly around Skyrim, answering to the call of duty on a daily basis? I don't suppose _you_ have the resources to send a network of mages to patrol the roads and corners of Skyrim day and night to protect its citizens from things such as these?"

"No, we do not," Tolfdir answered. He then appeared to be carefully choosing his words. "But we cannot hand over the Staff of Magnus. It is far too dangerous. As soon as I return to the College, I will send a couple of our mages to take care of the problem right away. Let the jarl be a witness to my promise."

As Jarl Korir nodded in acknowledgment, the Thalmor Wizard looked like he was about to flip again. "Denial! Denial of service! You realize this is what you are essentially saying? Do you forget that the majority of your income _comes_ from the Empire? The common rabble of Skyrim doesn't _need_ services from you; is that who you intend to cater to after you have alienated your primary customers?" The Thalmor's eyes appeared to be gleaming with rage, and the guards had to stand at ready again lest he do something drastic.

"You may leave now, Thalmor," Jarl Korir said with a warning tone. "You heard the man. He said that he will send some of his men down to take care of the problem. That is the service he agreed to render."

The guards that stood at each side of Fenderon now nudged him forward and as he walked out of the hall, he shouted back, "We expect a quick response! And I assure you, this is _not_ over! You are treading on thin ice, College wizard! Thin ice!" He then disappeared out the door with the guards.

Onmund heard Tolfdir let out a groan from the depths of his throat and Jarl Korir said, "Good. He's gone. Thought he was going to have a hernia or something." The other guards standing in the room all burst into laughter, and the three mages just stood by, uncomfortably. The jarl then directed his attention back to Tolfdir, "I won't keep you long, as understandably, you have a very important matter to attend to, but I want to know if you've…given my offer any consideration?"

"I am talking it over with my colleagues," Tolfdir responded. "I cannot give you a response, either yay or nay, at this present time."

"Very well," Jarl Korir replied. "But before you go and deliberate some more might I add: Times are very volatile and precarious. The longer you remain neutral, the weaker your defenses will get. I've seen this sort of thing happen. One who staunchly and repeatedly refuses aid will eventually become isolated. And one who is isolated will eventually implode. Now, I am no scholar of magic- not even an admirer, but we can both agree that fire, whether of natural or magical origins, will eventually burn out if it is not watched and protected. Am I alone in this assumption?"

Onmund looked at Danielle and they exchanged meaningful looks and Tolfdir answered, "No. That is a very sound assumption." He then looked off into space for a moment, not wishing to say anymore.

Jarl Korir appeared to be done with him now, so he ended with, "You may go."

Without saluting or bowing, which Onmund thought was a little odd, Tolfdir turned around to leave. He and his wife then did the same, and the guards escorted them outside. As the three of them walked back to the College, Tolfdir walked a little ahead of them silently. Onmund and Danielle didn't say anything either, but at one point, she gave Onmund a hesitant look and then ran ahead to catch up with Tolfdir, saying in a hushed voice, "I still have the Staff of Magnus locked away. Who do you wish to send to Haafingar to take care of the anomaly?"

Onmund couldn't hear Tolfdir's response but he saw his wife nod solemnly a few times, and he knew that whoever he sent out there was going to be in a very precarious situation. No doubt there was going to be a gathering of Thalmor and Imperial soldiers trying to fight off the anomaly, and now that the College's relationship with them was strained, he wasn't sure how they would deal with having the College's mages in their midst. They were going to have to be very careful when they went out there.

* * *

_**A/N:** Fenderon is an OC of mine, just a minor character in this story. In case you didn't hear of this yet, I have a blog on Tumblr at .com, that I will use to keep in touch with my readers and post miscellaneous and behind-the-scenes content about my stories. For example, the last thing I posted was a comparison between this story and Fire and Lightning, if anyone's interested in reading about that. Thank you for your reviews and support!_


	4. Confession

When they got inside the College, Danielle opened the door to the Arch-Mage's Quarters and let Tolfdir in. Onmund followed them in and they climbed up the stairs into the entryway. They stopped there and Danielle said to Tolfdir, "I shall return with the staff. Let me go get it." She then rushed off, leaving Onmund alone with his former professor. There was a reason for following this secretive protocol, and it all started after the Psijic monks whisked the Eye of Magnus away months earlier. When Danielle was named the new Arch-Mage, she was put in charge of safeguarding the Staff of Magnus, and that responsibility hadn't been relinquished from her since, even after she had stepped down from the position. She kept it locked away somewhere, and no one- not Tolfdir, and not even her own husband, knew where it was. It was a security measure.

Sighing heavily, Tolfdir asked Onmund, "Do you think it was a sound choice to deny the staff from that wizard?"

"Absolutely!" Onmund responded firmly. "He has no business taking that thing."

"Yes, but…perhaps we could have stricken a deal with him," Tolfdir mused. "If we loaned the Thalmor the staff, then they would retract their threats to shut down the College." He looked away thoughtfully and then cursed under his breath, adding, "We should have thought of that!"

Onmund looked at his headmaster with alarm and cried, "Oh, no, Tolfdir! If they possessed the staff, there's no telling what they would've done with it. There's…there's something about Magnus's magic…it makes those who wield it become drunk with power. They would probably use it against us!" Again, he thought back to the incident with Estormo.

"That happened with the Eye, yes, Onmund. But we have yet to witness another event parallel to that. I've dealt with other Thalmor Wizards before and I can conclude that Ancano was the anomalous case; he was predisposed to, as you put it, becoming 'drunk with power.' The Eye was merely a vehicle for him to exercise his sociopathic tendencies."

Becoming charged, Onmund shook his head fervently. "No. No, that is not true. Ancano may have been sociopathic, yes, but I'm telling you, there's something about that staff- the magic of Magnus. It makes…it makes people crazy."

Tolfdir seemed taken aback by this expository statement. "And where do you get this conjecture?"

"I've seen what it can do in the wrong hands," he declared. And right as he said it, he wished he hadn't. It was too late. His secret was now coming out.

"Whose hands?" Tolfdir questioned.

"…The Thalmor," Onmund responded.

Tolfdir's face crinkled and he said in a confused tone, "I'm not sure I understand…"

Onmund let out a heavy sigh and prepared for his confession. He opened his mouth to speak, but right at that moment, Danielle ran up to them, staff in hand. Tolfdir looked at her and smiled. "Good, you've got it. Now you and Bridgette hurry to Haafingar! Please refrain from engaging anyone you encounter out there in political discussions. Just go and take care of that rupture and come back immediately, do you understand?"

"Yes, Tolfdir," Danielle agreed and scooted up to Onmund.

"_You're_ going out there?!" Onmund questioned just as Danielle was about to give him a kiss.

She stopped and responded, "Yes. I am taking Bridgette with me with the hopes that the locals seeing a familiar face will defuse any tense situation we might encounter."

Onmund didn't know what to say. The thought of her going out into the wilderness into a dangerous situation and possibly hostile bystanders didn't sit well with him at all. Before he could protest, she tilted her face up and gave him a kiss and said, "I'll be back tonight, hopefully. If not, we'll stay the night in Morthal and hurry back tomorrow. I love you!" She then left them.

"I…love you, too!" he shouted as he heard her rush down the stairs. He felt a pang when he heard the door shut and looked back at Tolfdir. "Are she and Bridgette going to be okay out there?" he asked him worriedly.

"They should be just fine," Tolfdir replied. "I am more concerned with them encountering Thalmor or Imperial soldiers than I am about them dealing with the anomaly. The staff should make quick work of it. Now, Onmund, you…you had made sort of a baffling statement earlier that confused me. I want to know what you meant when you said that you saw the staff in the Thalmor's hands. Are you speaking of a vision?"

_Oh, boy…_Onmund thought with dread. _There's nothing left to do now except to come clean with the truth._ Looking down the ground, he answered, "No. I'm not talking about a vision." He then looked back at his headmaster and confessed, "I know what really happened to Estormo."

"Estormo…" Tolfdir uttered, appearing to be struggling to remember. "That Thalmor agent whom we've been interrogated about? The one who disappeared in the wilderness?"

Onmund nodded. "I saw him."

"When? Where?"

"At Labyrinthian. After Danielle and I defeated Morokei and took the staff."

"Onmund, why haven't you told me this before? You _saw_ Estormo? Alive?"

"Yes," he replied guitily. He then added bitterly, "But wait. It gets better." As Tolfdir crossed his arms and looked at him expectantly, he continued, "Estormo found us first. He basically _ambushed_ us and snatched the staff out of our grasp. He then used it against us, draining both me and Danielle's magicka reserves. He almost _killed_ me, continuing to drain the life out of me even after all my magicka was gone. And I did what any desperate person would've done in that situation."

"What?" Tolfdir asked.

"I _attacked_ him," he finished. "I…I charged at him with what was left of my strength and…and I killed him."

Tolfdir blinked a couple of times before uttering, "My word…you…you killed him? How? With what…?"

"With my bare hands," he answered, now getting very uncomfortable. He especially wished not to describe the process of how he did so in graphic detail.

"Huh…" Tolfdir started, and looked away for a moment, as if trying to process this new information.

"I had no other choice!" Onmund spoke up, trying to cushion the blow that had already been dealt. "He had Danielle immobilized, and I had no magicka, and he had complete control of the staff. If he continued to use it on us, we would have been dead within seconds!"

"I understand," Tolfdir finally said. Putting a hand on his chin, though, he remarked somewhat angrily, "I am just baffled at why neither you nor Danielle came to me about this before. This occurred what…several months ago now? Did you intend to keep this vital information secret forever?"

"No," Onmund replied. "I was going to tell you eventually. And I certainly never thought I would have waited this long. But I was just worried. Worried about how our relations with the Thalmor were developing and I didn't want to…I didn't want to stain the College's reputation with this."

"Our reputation is _already_ stained, Onmund!" Tolfdir yelled.

Onmund shut his mouth and looked down in embarrassment, as he had never been yelled at by Tolfdir before. The headmaster just continued to look at the tall Nord mage with anger and disappointment and all Onmund could do was stand there in silence and avoid his eyes, thinking that he had no more valid excuses or explanations.

After taking a couple of deep breaths, Tolfdir finally said much more calmly, "I shall take my leave now. I have nothing more to say. I need to go and consider this…new information more carefully. It may end up changing things."

Onmund quickly lifted his head up and asked worriedly, "You're not going to _tell_ anyone about this, are you?"

"No," Tolfdir responded curtly. "We are _certainly_ not going to let the Thalmor know about this. We are still standing by our same story, as always. But I will need to ponder over the ramifications of this now. Good day."

"Tolfdir, wait," he urged.

Tolfdir stopped again, appearing impatient now.

"I'm not going to be expelled, am I?" he asked cautiously.

"No, you are not going to be expelled," Tolfdir answered. "But the fact that you…_and_ Danielle withheld some vitally important information about College matters from authorities greatly troubles me. I will wish to have a word with both of you when she gets back."

Onmund nodded solemnly and watched him depart. After he heard the door shut, he looked at the cold, gray walls around him and thought, _How could I have fallen so far so quickly? Me and my big mouth. Now Tolfdir's angry with me and I'm going to be punished, not to mention that Danielle is also going to be mad at me for getting her in trouble, too._ He shook his head bitterly and went back into his and Danielle's room to gather up his books for class.

Throughout class with Faralda and the other three Destruction students, Onmund tried to concentrate but he just kept thinking about the way Tolfdir looked at him and how angry and frustrated he had gotten when he gave his confession. _If the College enters this war, it could very well be my fault. I am partly responsible for the hostilities with the Thalmor whether this information is made public or not. If that happens, I don't know if I could ever forgive myself…_

"Onmund, will you help train Simon or not?" Faralda's voice broke into his thoughts. "Since Danielle's not here today."

Onmund looked up at her as she glared at him impatiently. Blushing furiously, he responded, "Oh, uh, yes! I'd be happy to."

"Thank you," she said coldly and continued her lecture.

"Striker just misses his woman," J'zargo whispered. "He's not himself without her."

At this, he heard the Khajiit snicker as well as Simon, which made Onmund blush even more. He had to concentrate. After all, it was Tolfdir who told them not to let current events disrupt their studies. He would have to try harder to focus.

When class was over, Faralda left them all to practice and Onmund partnered up with Simon like he was told and helped him with his fire spells. J'zargo and Brelyna were nearby practicing their spells, as well. At one point, Brelyna said in a scolding manner, "You know, Danielle being away is no laughing matter. She's risking her life right now to protect the College's reputation. You oughtta show some respect, at least!"

"I didn't say anything disrespecting about Danielle!" J'zargo protested. "I was talking about how much Onmund must miss her. You should have seen him when we were traveling a few days ago. He picks some lavender flowers from the side of the road and sniffs them, and I ask him, 'What are you doing?' and he says, 'These flowers remind me of Danielle.'"

Simon let out a snort, and Onmund blushed again when Brelyna cut in, "So? What's so funny about that? I think that's sweet. She's lucky to have such a loving husband."

J'zargo and Simon looked at each other and exchanged amused glances.

"All right, all right, are you done picking on the Nord mage, now?" Onmund piped up in a flustered manner. "You'll see. I can go all day without talking about her."

There was no response to this, but everyone went back to practicing their spells. _For the record, I _do_ miss her, but that isn't why I was distracted earlier,_ he wanted to tell them. He and Simon took turns firing spells at each other and warding for the next thirty minutes and then they decided to go eat lunch. Onmund invited Simon, J'zargo, and Brelyna to go eat at the Frozen Hearth again but the two Adepts refused so that just left the two Nords again to go there.

When Onmund and Simon arrived at the inn and sat at the same table they had sat in the day before, Haran asked them, "They working you hard over there at the College?"

"What do you mean?" Onmund questioned.

"They must be pushing you pretty hard over there if you come in here to drink so often," she commented.

"Oh," he responded, chuckling a little. "Nah, just decided it would be fun to come here again."

"You sure you two don't want drinks or something?" she asked them. "We just opened a new barrel of mead this morning."

"Uh, I'd like to, but…I don't think we should," he replied.

"Aw, come on," Simon piped up. "Do you really think anyone's going to care?"

Onmund looked at his fellow Nord with surprise. "But we're not supposed to!"

"Come on, you guys are Nords, you can handle it," Haran declared. "I'm sure that rule at the College was originally meant for elves, who can't seem to hold their liquor anyway."

"Yeah," Simon agreed. "It's been a while since I've had some ale or mead. I'm sure it has been for you, too. What do you say?"

_Sheesh, I didn't realize this guy is so rebellious,_ Onmund thought uncomfortably. "Well…I suppose I could go for some ale, myself."

Simon smiled and said, "I'll go for some of that freshly-opened mead."

"Coming right up," Haran replied and left them. She came back with the drinks and poured them into tankards for the boys and then took their food orders. Both Onmund and Simon ordered rabbit stew.

Onmund had a hard time getting Simon to make conversation again, but he accepted it for now. Simon just listened as Onmund talked about magic and history. And once they got their food, they were silent again as they slurped up their stews.

Before they left to go back to the College, Haran wanted to show them a letter that Dagur, the innkeeper, had received that morning. It was from Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak- or rather, it was from his steward. The letter was interesting:

Calling all wizards and practitioners of the arcane,

Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak is looking for battlemages to serve in his army of soldiers. Citizens of Skyrim only. If you are willing and able to help protect and defend this land, come see the jarl in Windhelm and you will be given your post.

Jorleif, Steward to Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak

"The Stormcloaks want battlemages?" Onmund questioned incredulously.

"Looks like it," Haran replied. "I already showed the letter to Nelacar, who wanted nothing to do with it. I don't know how they're going to find mages willing to serve under Ulfric. Most of them are elves and want nothing to do with the Stormcloaks, except, of course…maybe you guys. What do you think of this?"

"Interesting," Onmund answered. "Very interesting. I don't know where they're going to find such battlemages, either."

"That would be one hell of a job," Simon remarked. "Lots of traveling, lots of danger…it sounds like fun!"

"I don't know about that…" Onmund started.

"Well, why don't you take that letter to your Master Wizard at the College?" Haran suggested. "Maybe someone there will take interest in it and be willing to respond."

"All right," Simon replied and took the letter from her. He folded it up and put it in his pocket. "That was good rabbit stew, by the way. Filled me right up!"

Haran smiled. "No problem."

When Onmund and Simon got back to the College, Simon said to Onmund, "Welp, see you later!"

"Wait!" Onmund stopped him. "Aren't you going to show that letter to Tolfdir?"

Simon snorted and replied, "Are you kidding? He'll tear it to pieces."

"Well…what are you going to do with it?"

"I'm going to keep it. I want to think it over a bit."

"Whoa! Wait…" he sputtered, getting wary. "You're not seriously thinking of applying, are you?"

Simon just looked at him for a moment before shrugging. "Maybe I am. There's a great need for good battlemages in Skyrim."

"Hey…now hold on," he urged. "You're proposing joining the Stormcloaks! And going to war! Tolfdir's not going to let you do that."

"Then Tolfdir can shove it," Simon declared with a scowl.

Onmund was taken by surprise by his declaration and was rendered speechless for a moment.

Simon took this as an opportunity to continue his speech. "I'm a free man of Skyrim. I can do whatever I want. If there is a compelling reason for me to join the Stormcloaks or any other faction that needs my services, then I will happily do so. Now, good day." With that, he left Onmund standing there in the courtyard. After he disappeared inside the Hall of Attainment, Onmund continued on into the Hall of Elements and into his and Danielle's quarters.

He then reflected on what had happened so far. _Simon is turning out to be nothing but trouble, _he thought ruefully. _I thought I would have a lot in common with a fellow Nord mage, but I guess I was wrong._ He examined himself for a moment and tried to think of reasons why he, a Nord, was against joining the Stormcloaks. Actually, it wasn't that he was against them in particular, but he was just skittish towards the whole civil war. _Wars were fought with swords and arrows. Mages have no place in them…or do they? Obviously, Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak seems to think so. And I wonder why? Is he possibly looking back through history to the great kings before him, like High King Harald and his powerful army of battlemages? I guess it makes sense…mages could add a whole new facet and strategy to a war with their skillsets. Why, Danielle and I are a formidable duo when we're thrown into dangerous situations like we had been in the past! But could I see us fighting in a war? I don't think so._ He then thought back to his parents whom he hadn't seen in months and whom he had no idea where they were, and the words of Dengeir of Stuhn came back to him, "If you want to find them, I suggest you do anything but ask the Empire for help. If they had it their way, all of us sons and daughters of Skyrim would be driven from our homes and stripped of our freedom." _Is that true? _he wondered. _Is that really what's happening right now?_ He then thought of the Thalmor's threats to shut down the College. It was so senseless. They weren't even interested in hearing the College's side of the story- how Ancano's and Estormo's deaths weren't their fault. They just wanted the College off the map for good. It was unfair. _Yet what can we do about it?_ he wondered. _We can't keep them from marching over here and trying to destroy the College; all we can do is defend ourselves if that happens_. He then thought it over some more. _But the Thalmor have _hundreds_ in their ranks, maybe thousands, and not only that, the Empire is on their side. If they were to march over here in full force, we would never stand a chance. Maybe…maybe we _should_ consider accepting Jarl Korir's offer to gather some Stormcloak soldiers for protection…It's not like he actually asked us to side with them. But…how would that work?_ He had no idea, but all he knew was that Tolfdir was in charge, and whatever he said went. He wished he could try talking to him about it and giving his take on it, but at the moment, he was definitely not on his good side, so that was out of the question.

* * *

_**A/N:** It's so good to see my readers from Fire and Lightning again! Thank your for your continued support! The Thalmor were well aware that Ancano was instrumental in the Eye of Magnus disaster but who knows if they actually believe that he caused it. I figured since they're not exactly friendly towards the College they must want to spin the story in a different way and somehow put blame on the College itself for that disaster. And don't worry too much about Simon- he's harmless for the most part. He's just, as Danielle says, eccentric. When I tried to come up with this new Nord mage character, I wanted him to be Onmund's opposite in every way. While Onmund is warm, talkative, and friendly, Simon is not. Onmund is proud to be a mage and kind of shuns his heritage; Simon is the opposite and that aspect will come out in the coming chapters. So basically, a rivalry of sorts is going to break out between the two and that will be cause for some tense and even funny scenes throughout this story._

_To M: I wondered if you had disappeared or something and I couldn't figure out how I could contact you! Welcome back! I had heeded your advice and moved my interviews and non-story content to my Tumblr site, .com_


	5. Judgment

For the rest of the day, Onmund waited for his wife to return home. He couldn't concentrate on his studies very well knowing that she was out there risking her life dealing with the magical anomaly and possibly also dealing with Imperial legionnaires and Thalmor. He hoped that she would return tonight. Every hour that ticked by without her return was a nail-biting one. But he also dreaded having to tell her the bad news that both she and he were going to be disciplined by Tolfdir. It wasn't going to be a pleasant thing to come home to, that was for sure.

At last, as Onmund was getting ready to climb into bed and read, he heard the door open and close. Immediately slamming his book shut, he got up and heard his wife's sweet voice call out, "Onmund! I'm back!"

He saw her emerge from the stairs carrying the staff and she looked exhausted, but upon seeing him, a smile broke out on her face and she ran up to him as he gathered her up in his arms for a welcome embrace. They kissed each other repeatedly and longingly before she pulled away and quickly said breathlessly, "Let me put away the staff. Don't go anywhere!"

"I won't," he replied with enthusiasm and then she ran off to lock the Staff of Magnus away.

As he stood there waiting in the foyer, the sinking feeling that he had throughout the day quickly came back as he knew that he was going to have to tell her about Tolfdir wanting to speak with them. He was very happy to see her come back safe, but this little detail was threatening to dampen his spirits.

Suddenly, he was overcome by Danielle tackling him from behind, as she uttered, "I'm so glad to be home."

He turned around and faced her, wrapping his arms around her again and saying, "I'm so glad you're home, too." He then licked his lips and began, "Danielle, before you get too comfortable, I-"

"Shhh," she urged, putting her finger to his lips. "Before we even talk about anything, I want to show you how much I've missed you…" Her lips curled up into a knowing smile and her eyes gleamed seductively.

He knew what that meant. And he had to admit, despite his current state of mind, he became instantly turned on. He responded back in a whisper, "Okay, show me."

"Wait for me in bed," she instructed. "With your robes _off_."

Onmund couldn't help but grin wide. He let her go and went into the bedroom. As he began peeling off his robes, wondering what kind of surprise was in store, he felt guilt begin to well up in him. _She's being so loving towards me right now, but she's going to end up hating me after what I have to tell her,_ he knew. _Maybe I should just…come out and tell her. She'll change her mind about making love to me then, but I'd feel guilty, otherwise._ But he was now out of his robes, and he climbed into bed and waited.

Soon, she emerged into the bedroom, and his breath caught in his throat as she came into the candlelight and he could see her. She had some kind of bright blue tunic on, and it appeared to be made of some kind of very light material because it was so thin that it was almost sheer. The sleeves were long, loose, and flowy, but the rest of it hugged her torso so tightly that he could see the outlines of her breasts and nipples clearly. The bottom of it hit just barely below her hips so her bronze-colored legs looked to be about a mile long. He was taken by her beauty.

"Missed me?" she asked in a flirty tone.

He smiled as he gazed at her, unable to take his eyes off of her body. "You have no idea," he finally said and sat up, throwing off the blanket covering him so that she could get in with him, and at the same time revealing just how aroused he was by the sight.

She climbed onto the bed and crawled on her knees towards him where they finally met in an embrace and she pressed her lips on his, kissing him hungrily. He let his hands wander up and down her small, soft body as he savored the taste of her lips and tongue. She then pulled back and whispered, "Lay back."

He obeyed despite the gnawing feeling coming back again and leaned back to lie down on the pillow. She then straddled his torso and began kissing his neck, making her way slowly down towards his chest. The feeling of her cool lips upon his hot skin was electrifying and of her tongue even more so, as she licked and kissed her way further on downward. He tried to savor the feeling as much as he could because it really did feel incredible, but the guilty feelings kept threatening to put a damper on his enjoyment. It was now at this point when he realized that she was about to go down on him. And while the prospect of that was awesome, he felt the guilt pour into him once again to the point where he felt like he didn't deserve this treat one bit. His spirits dipped as he uttered, "Danielle, wait…stop." It pained him to no end to say those words to her as she began licking down his stomach, but he knew that he would feel even worse if he allowed her to go on.

She stopped and lifted her head up to look at him. "Is everything all right?" she asked with a puzzled expression.

He looked at her with the guilt on his face and shook his head. "I can't…" he admitted softly and attempted to pull her up towards him again.

She sat up, still straddling him, but looking at him with a concerned expression. "Why not?" she asked.

"There's something I have to tell you," he said seriously, gazing up into her face. "You're going to hate me now, but…I've done something incredibly stupid."

She now looked even more concerned, but she waited for him to continue. "I…I told Tolfdir about Estormo."

She blinked a couple of times and looked at him with a confused expression on her face, uttering, "What?"

"I told Tolfdir the truth about him. About what really happened that day at Labyrinthian. How I…killed him and everything."

Now her expression changed, as if she fully understood. "You…you did?" she asked.

He nodded. "And uh…he wasn't happy. He wasn't happy at all."

"What did he say?"

"He wants to speak with you and me tomorrow. I think…we're going to be in trouble. For not telling him about it in the first place."

She appeared surprised for a moment, but not angry as Onmund had feared. She then met his eyes again and asked, "Was…that it?"

"Yeah…" he answered uncertainly, not sure how to react. "You're not…mad at me?"

"_Mad_ at you? Why would I be mad at you?"

"Because my big mouth has gotten you in trouble, as well."

She heaved a sigh, appeared in thought for a moment, and then responded, "I'm not mad about that. I figured…we had to tell him sooner or later." She then climbed off him and proceeded to settle onto the pillow beside him, pulling the covers over both of them. "Onmund, there's something I need to tell you, too."

"Oh. What is it?" he asked.

"It's not good. It's not good at all. I'm not looking forward to passing on this bit of news to Tolfdir, but…basically the Thalmor have threatened to put an embargo on all services and shipments to and from the College."

"What?!" he cried. "They have? How did you find this out?"

"Bridgette and I had an encounter with the Thalmor in Haafingar when we were taking care of the rupture," she explained. "Fenderon and his soldiers were there. He said to 'be so kind to deliver this verbal message to our headmaster. A formal letter with the details will be sent shortly.' Ugh, I can't believe it."

"So an embargo…" he declared, letting the dreadful news sink in. "If we can't send or receive any shipments, or render or accept any services, we won't be able to survive! The College _will_ have to shut down!"

"And that's exactly what the Thalmor want," she said.

"Oh, no…" he finally concluded. "Tolfdir's not going to like that. What are we going to do? I say we ask Jarl Korir to send us those soldiers right away. We can't stand for this!"

"But Onmund, we don't want an attack on our College!" she protested.

"We're _already_ being attacked, though," he insisted. "Don't you see? The Thalmor _want_ to see us go down without a fight. If we don't beef up our defenses, that's exactly what's going to happen!" He then stopped for a moment as an epiphany came to him. Looking off to the side, he said, "Oh, man. I'm starting to sound like Simon now."

"Simon?" she questioned.

"Simon is seriously thinking about joining the Stormcloaks," Onmund replied.

"What?!" Now it was her turn to be shocked.

"I don't know exactly what his reasons are, but he seems to believe that we should take a more proactive and offensive approach in this war," he explained to her. "Just this afternoon, Haran from the Frozen Hearth showed us a letter from Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak asking for battlemages to join his soldiers out on the field. Simon is thinking of responding."

"He's crazy!" she declared. "He'll get himself killed!"

"Well…I thought the same thing about us when we were going to places like Mzulft and Labyrinthian," he pointed out. "But we made it out alive both times. And many other times, too."

"But Onmund, this…this is different," she tried to explain. "We're talking about a war here. We're talking about everyone in Skyrim getting involved; this is…this is…"

"My homeland," he finished. "And it's your home, too. I don't know about you, but…more than ever, I feel compelled to defend it. And my family…my family's out there somewhere hiding from the Thalmor. Who knows if they're in danger or not. But soon they'll have no home to return to because those…those damn _elves_ are going to destroy it." He looked at his wife's shocked face and then he immediately apologized. "I'm sorry. I meant the Thalmor. Just the Thalmor. They're making me angrier and angrier these days with the way they're running things. They have no right to take this land away from us! They have no right to take this College away, either! We can't just take this lying down; we _have_ to fight back!"

Danielle looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, not responding. Onmund knew that she was concerned about the ramifications of getting involved in the war, and he shared her concerns, as well. He still felt more confused than ever, though, about how he truly felt. He looked at her and sighed, putting his hand on her cheek and gently stroking it. "You know what? I don't want to talk about this right now. I just want to celebrate the fact that you've come home safe and sound. I bet you're tired."

"I _am_ tired," she admitted. "And I don't want to talk about it either. I missed _you_ so much. When I'm with you, nothing else matters."

"I am with you on that," he agreed and gave her a soft kiss on the lips.

She smiled and then turned her body around to face the other side, holding his hand the whole time so that he could wrap it around her, which he did. She scooted her back up to him so that they were in a spooning position, and then said, "Goodnight, darling."

"Goodnight, my love," he said back and closed his eyes. He felt the teeny urge to ask her about the "treat" that he was about to receive earlier and if he could possibly get another chance, but he didn't dare ask now. She really did seem exhausted and he didn't want to force her to do it if she didn't want to.

Just then, he felt her body begin to shake, and as it became more prominent, his eyes flew open and he asked her in a concerned voice, "Are you all right, my love?" He feared that she was crying.

Now, he could hear her, and it wasn't clear at first what sounds she was making, but soon, he realized that she was _laughing_. "Danielle?" he questioned.

She now turned her body around to face him, and she was indeed cracking up. "Oh, goodness. Oh, thank the gods it wasn't _that_…"

He just stared at her with a puzzled expression as she laughed some more and finally spoke between bouts of laughter, "You know…you really had me worried earlier…When you said that you had done something 'incredibly stupid,' I thought…I thought that you had cheated on me or something!"

"What?!" he cried, opening his eyes wide. "Cheated on you?"

She now burst into uproarious laughter, tears beginning to form in her eyes, and as Onmund thought about it some more, he did realize that what he had said could've been construed that way. _Wow, that _did_ sound bad,_ he realized. Becoming amused himself, he burst out laughing, as well.

"That's why I was actually _relieved_ when you told me what it _really_ was!" she explained.

As his laughter died down, he responded, "I guess that _is_ a relief! But…but we're still in trouble!"

For some reason, this made her burst into more laughter again, and he couldn't help but join in, as well, despite the situation. After a few seconds, they both tried to catch their breaths, and Danielle struggled to say the words as she wiped the tears from her face, "Whew…I…I don't know why that is so funny. It _really_ isn't. But…but I guess we'll just have to find out what we'll be in for tomorrow and take it as it comes."

"Yes," he agreed, trying to be serious. "I know that we won't be expelled, though. That much I _am_ sure of."

"That's good," she said, now appearing much calmer.

He sighed. "I guess I can just be glad that I won't be facing it alone." He looked at his wife and smiled.

"Me, too," she replied with a smile of her own. She then added, "All right, we'd better try and get some sleep."

"Right," he agreed, and she turned around so that he could spoon her again. He gave one last chuckle as he held tightly onto her, muttering, "You thought I was cheating on you. Danielle…you're all the woman I need." He gave her a loving kiss behind her ear and then closed his eyes. Sleep finally came to both of them.

The next morning, Onmund and Danielle went to Tolfdir's room to face their headmaster once and for all. After they both sat down, Tolfdir looked at Danielle first thing and asked her, "Danielle, do you know why you are here?"

"Yes, Tolfdir," she replied reverently. "Onmund told me."

"Very well," he started. "Before we talk about this matter, though, I am curious how you and Bridgette fared yesterday. You took care of the rupture, yes?"

"Yes, we did," she answered.

"And the staff is safely locked up?"

"Yes."

"Did you…encounter any Thalmor?"

"Yes, we did. And um, Tolfdir…if I might be so bold and ask that I tell you about a very important thing pertaining to that first before we talk about anything else?"

"Of course. What is it?"

"Bridgette and I did encounter Thalmor soldiers and wizards in Haafingar," she started. "And they spoke to us. The only thing that they said was to ask me to deliver a verbal message to you, and that a formal letter stating the same thing will be sent shortly."

"What was the message?" Tolfdir asked.

"That the Thalmor plan on imposing an embargo on all College shipments and services to and from the Empire," she stated.

At this, Tolfdir looked as if he had been struck. "What?" He put both hands on the arms of his chair, as if to steady himself. "Did you say an embargo? They're really planning on doing that?"

"That's what Fenderon said," she simply replied. "He was there."

Tolfdir looked away for a moment and scowled. "That fiendish rat!" he cursed. "That is the last straw!" He appeared to think something over for a moment, and then declared, "There's only one way in which we can possibly mitigate this now."

Tolfdir didn't say anymore after that, which somewhat worried Onmund. He looked at his former professor curiously and asked, "What are we going to do?"

"I have a plan," he said. "I think I know how I can rectify this situation. It's the staff that the Thalmor want, right?"

Onmund grabbed the sides of his chair, leaned forward, and cried, "You're not going to give it to them, are you?!"

"Let me finish, let me finish," Tolfdir urged annoyedly. "It's the staff that they want, but we'll only let them use it if we send a guardian with them; that way, we can ensure that they are trained to use it properly and to ensure that it is not used for foul purposes. The staff will still be under our ownership, but they may use it for whatever they need it for, within those bounds and conditions."

Onmund looked at his wife sitting beside him and they both exchanged uncertain glances. He could tell that she was thinking the same thing- that it was a bad idea. He decided to speak again, "Tolfdir…I understand that you want to heal our relations with the Thalmor, but…but that staff is powerful. I don't know if merely providing a guardian is going to be…enough."

"I will ensure that the guardian is fully and properly trained," Tolfdir replied. "So that we will _not_ have another situation like you and Danielle had gotten yourselves into with Estormo." He gave Onmund a stern look which made the Nord mage uncomfortable. "Besides…what else can I do? The Thalmor have us trapped. And I believe that letting them use the staff can help alleviate this situation."

Onmund frowned and then made like he was going to speak, but immediately decided against it. Tolfdir noticed him struggling to accept his response and then piped up with the question, "Do you think there is a better way?"

With his expression set, he finally spoke, "I think we should accept Jarl Korir's offer and bring some soldiers here for protection."

Tolfdir gave a sigh, and Onmund knew that he wouldn't react positively to the suggestion, but he just had to come out and say it. He explained further, "I don't see it as us taking sides with anyone. We don't have to consider them as _our_ soldiers. Just soldiers protecting the boundaries of an already Stormcloak-held hold."

"But think of the message that that would send, Onmund," Tolfdir replied, getting frustrated. "We might as well just tell them that we no longer wish to continue relations with them, and accept their embargo!"

"How can you be so sure that they'll accept _our_ deal?" Onmund questioned, his voice getting frantic. "And even if they do, and they have free rein over the staff, how can we guarantee that they'll continue to work with us?"

"Onmund, has Simon been talking to you about this?" Tolfdir suddenly asked.

"…No," he responded. "Why do you ask?"

"Because you started sounding like him just now," Tolfdir said. "Did you know that he gave his leave this morning?"

Onmund's eyes widened. "No. He left?"

"He left to go join the Stormcloak rebellion."

_So that bastard went through with it after all,_ Onmund thought. "Well, good for him," he remarked with sarcasm. "_I'm_ not planning on joining the rebellion. I just don't want the Thalmor to think they can step all over us. They've done enough. I just think we need to show them that they can't just tell us what to do."

"Onmund, you are forgetting that they are with the Empire," Tolfdir said. "And that the Empire provides us with most of our income. Without their patronage, we would be severely crippled."

"Then we can find _other_ patrons in Tamriel!" Onmund declared. "I'm sure we can even find other people in Skyrim who are in need of our services. Why…just yesterday, there was a letter from Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak that said that he is in need of battlemages!"

"What letter?" Tolfdir questioned curiously.

"Haran from the Frozen Hearth showed it to me and Simon yesterday," he replied. He then added cautiously, "I _was_ going to show it to you right away; in fact, Haran specifically asked us to, but Simon took the letter with him and didn't show it to anyone." Onmund felt bad for tattling on his fellow Nord mage but he also knew that it no longer mattered now that he had left the College.

Tolfdir shook his head, as if processing all of this at once was becoming too much for him. "Onmund…I think we need to take a step back from all this and consider some things. For hundreds of years, this College has been around and has withstood all sorts of political wars and disasters, holding to its deeply-rooted traditions of educating any and all who wish to learn the arcane arts."

Onmund pursed his lips, feeling ready to burst by the Master Wizard's approach to this issue. He was not getting through to him at all, and it frustrated him to no end. He didn't want a lecture; he didn't want to be talked down to as if he knew nothing about the College's or Skyrim's history. He sprung out of his chair and proclaimed firmly, "I _know_ what this college has been through. I've _read_ the history."

Now it was Tolfdir's turn to stand up and face him. "Onmund, sit down," he urged. "I am not finished yet."

"I am not finished yet, either," Onmund replied. "My family raised me in the traditional Nordic way, expecting me to become a hunter or a farmer. I wanted to learn magic. And there was nowhere else I wanted to go to learn it except here. In my homeland. And I had the freedom to do it, which I am grateful for. I don't want to see that freedom taken away. I don't want to see the College's freedom taken away. I may not be a Stormcloak or have any part in this rebellion but I know that as a son of Skyrim, I have the right to be free!" He looked at Tolfdir with an indignant expression.

Tolfdir kept a calm expression, but Onmund could tell that he was angry, and after a few agonizing seconds, he finally spoke, "Freedom? You want your freedom?"

"As sure as I was born in this land," Onmund responded.

"Then…" Tolfdir started, crossing his arms and gazing sternly at him. "Then, so be it. I grant you your freedom."

"Tolfdir!" Danielle cried, getting up. "You don't mean-"

"I hereby grant you your leave…to do whatever you want," Tolfdir continued.

Up until this very moment, Onmund didn't fully understand what Tolfdir meant by his declaration. It then hit him like a ton of boulders. "What? Tolfdir…I don't understand-"

"You are a free man!" Tolfdir declared. "Free from your studies, free from your duties, free from the College!"

"Are you…expelling me?" Onmund asked incredulously.

"I am not expelling you," Tolfdir said with forced calmness. "I am simply giving you your leave. You, an Adept in Destruction and Novice in Alchemy, have earned your keep here up until this point. You may keep your medals and decorations. I only ask that you no longer consider yourself a student under my watch, for I no longer see you fit to learn in this environment."

These words crushed Onmund. He could only stare at his headmaster in shock. Feeling utterly defeated, he said quietly, "I understand. You wish me to…leave the College?"

"Well, under these unique circumstances you are permitted to remain here with your wife, provided that you don't interfere with her or anyone else's studies. I will arrange for a new situation for you to keep you occupied, perhaps assisting Arniel or Sergius with their research, but I ask that you do not attend anymore classes."

Danielle finally took a step forward and pleaded, "Tolfdir, please! Forgive my husband; we're all under stress from this growing situation with the Thalmor. I implore you to reconsider!"

"Don't worry about it, Danielle," Onmund cut in, without turning his head. "Tolfdir's right. I'm no longer fit to continue learning here. I won't go to anymore classes, if that's what you want. I'll just…I'll just be going back to my room now."

"Wait…" Danielle urged, and made like she was going to follow her husband out, but Tolfdir stopped her, saying, "Danielle, please stay for a moment. I wish to have a word with you, privately. This is not concerning your husband."

Danielle stopped and frowned and Onmund turned around and said to her, "I'll be in our room." He then walked out of the room alone and headed back outside. As he walked across the courtyard towards the Hall of Elements, he stopped in front of the giant statue of Archmage Shalidor. Gazing up at it, he tried to make sense of what just happened. _I am no longer a part of this anymore,_ he knew. _This place, this little world that has been my home for the past several months. Is that all it's been? It seems like a lifetime. But now, I am no longer a part of it._ He looked up at the battlements and mused, _And it's just as well. I feel like I no longer know it anymore. I came here to get away from my family- to outgrow an old way of life. And now it's just as if I'm outgrowing this current stage in life, too. I thought that I could come here and pursue my passion until the day I died. But I never would've suspected how costly that passion could be, and how different everyone's viewpoints on life could be. And it looks like there's a whole world out there existing completely independently from all this- a world that I've only had glimpses into and heard about in passing. A world that might have a place for me now._

* * *

_**A/N:** This chapter is slightly longer than the previous ones...hope you don't mind ;) There's also a teeny reference to Kung Pow! Enter the Fist. I want to thank everyone for their support and encouraging words to me as a writer. I am also happy to see people still favoriting the prequel to this story, Fire and Lightning! As a side note, I wanted to inform my readers that I still post things on my blog, .com, related to this story and the College of Winterhold in general, including two short snippets on a couple of scenes from Fire and Lightning told from Danielle's POV._

_Here are my responses to some of my reviewers- the ones that I cannot PM:_

_**To Meishuu:** Thank you for your review on the first chapter! I hope the rest of the story is also to your liking! Yes, I'm just another Onmund fan; it's awesome to meet others like us because then I don't feel so crazy, lol._

_**To M:** I don't know what all the fuss is either, but I'm sure Onmund would feel guilty killing another person (i.e., human, elf, Khajiit, etc.). I'm sure his father killed his share of elves in the Great War but who knows what he thinks of that. And that IS a real bummer what happened to your story! And the fact that you got no warning...I tell you your note scared the living daylights out of me which was why I promptly removed that Q&A session from my Fire and Lightning story and created the blog._


	6. Leaving Winterhold

He continued walking and went into the Hall of Elements. His class had already started so Faralda was speaking to J'zargo and Brelyna when he walked in.

"There you are, Onmund," Faralda proclaimed and everyone turned to look at him. "I was just telling the students that Simon has left the College to go pursue other endeavors. Where's Danielle?"

Without looking up, Onmund answered, "She's still talking with Tolfdir."

"Well, please stand with the other students and we'll begin class," she instructed. "We'll get Danielle caught up when she gets in."

"Faralda, I have to tell you something," he started. "Tolfdir gave me my leave. I am no longer a student here."

"What?!" Faralda, J'zargo, and Brelyna all cried simultaneously.

"Were you expelled?" Faralda asked him.

"No…not exactly," he replied uncomfortably. "I'm just…not supposed to be a student anymore. I just wanted to tell you that."

"And what about Danielle?" she continued. "Did Tolfdir tell her the same thing?"

"No. Just me," he answered.

"What did you do?" J'zargo asked.

"I told him that we should accept Jarl Korir's offer to bring soldiers over here," he explained.

"You did?" Brelyna questioned. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I thought we needed the protection," he responded impatiently. "Anyway, I'd better get going now. See ya later." He then quickly turned around, leaving everyone to continue to look on in shock and speechlessness.

He went into his and Danielle's room and waited for her to return. After several minutes, she eventually arrived and found him boiling potatoes over their makeshift hearth. He looked up at her and stopped what he was doing because she had such a sullen look on her face. But when she looked up at him, it seemed to change, and it became filled with purpose. He put the large wooden spoon he was holding aside as she approached him and said solemnly, "Like you, I am no longer a student now."

"What?!" he uttered, gaping at her in shock. "Tolfdir told _you_ to leave, too?"

"No," she answered calmly. "I quit."

He threw his hands up and held onto her shoulders to steady himself. "You quit?! Why? What happened?"

Taking a deep breath, she replied, "I told him…that there was _no way_ I could in good conscience allow him to give the staff to the Thalmor, and if he still wanted to do so, then I wanted no part of it. So I told him that I quit."

"And what did he say?" Onmund asked.

"He said that he was very sorry to hear that but that if it was my final decision, then he could do nothing about it," she explained.

He gave his wife a sad look and lamented, "Oh, Danielle!" Putting his hands on the sides of her face, he continued, "Why did you do that? It was _me_ whom he was mad at, not you! _I'm_ the one who's become the misfit around here and _I'm_ the one who needs to be punished. I didn't want you to be a part of it! You're one of the best students here and your studies mean so much to you! It wasn't supposed to end this way!"

She gazed up at him with eyes so true, it nearly broke his heart. "Onmund, I…I can't stay here either. I feel like we've…we've outgrown this College, you and I."

He felt convicted by her words. It was exactly what he was thinking moments after he had left Tolfdir's presence.

She continued, "You and I…we spent the most time _away_ from the College, especially during the events with the Eye of Magnus. _We_ were the only ones who saw people like Gavros give his last dying breath, we were the only ones who saved the village of Kynesgrove from destruction, and we were the only ones who stared into the face of death when we faced Morokei and Estormo. No one else can even _begin_ to understand what we went through." Closing her eyes and shaking her head, she declared, "It's all…it's all too much, Onmund. We can't stay here anymore." She then pulled away from him, looking like she was ready to burst. But then, she looked at him and suddenly asked, "Darling, are you burning food?"

He appeared confused for a second as a strange smell invaded his nostrils. Suddenly, he opened his eyes wide and he gasped. "The potatoes!" he cried, and hurried back to the hearth, yanking the pot off of the fire and setting it aside. He sighed. "Sorry, love. I think I burned lunch."

She just gave him a surprised look and he looked at her with a serious expression on his face. "You know what? You're right. We can't stay here. Like these potatoes, we've been in the boiling water for too long."

At this, Danielle managed a smile, and Onmund smiled at her back. He then walked over to her, wrapped his arms around her and suggested softly, "Why don't we get out of here? Like, out of this place, out of Winterhold- find someplace to stay? Let's go find some new work…"

"Where?" she asked, but not in a fearful, uncertain manner. "Where can we go?"

He thought for a moment and then sighed. "Well, I was gonna say I'd like to take you to Falkreath, and we could live on Half-Moon Farm for a while, but I know _that's_ out of the question."

"We need to find your family," she said with some urgency. "But I don't know how or where to start."

"Me neither," he responded. A thought then started coming to him. "Maybe…do you think Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak could help me find them?"

"I don't know…" she replied uncertainly. "Why would _he_ know?"

"Because he hates the Thalmor just as much as we do," he reasoned. "He at least seems to be on the side of Skyrim's natives. Maybe he could send some soldiers to search for them."

"We could just ask Jarl Korir to do that for us," she suggested. "He could send some soldiers."

"We could," he started. "But we can't stay here in Winterhold. We need to get out. And I was thinking that we could hole up in Windhelm for a while. Then, we can figure out what to do from there. And…I have to admit, part of me has been itching to meet this Ulfric fellow once and for all. I've been hearing about him so much- from Haran, from Simon, from you, that I want to meet this supposed savior of Skyrim in person. I want to see what is so great about this man."

"He murdered High King Torygg…" she pointed out. "That's all that _I_ have heard."

"Well…I'd like to hear it from his own lips, myself," Onmund said. "I want to know what he thinks of the Thalmor, and I want to know what he plans to do with them."

Danielle sighed. "This means a lot to you, doesn't it? To meet this leader of the Skyrim rebellion?"

"I just want to see him," he explained. "And ask him some questions. I'm also kind of curious why he wants battlemages."

She rolled her eyes and then said, "You realize we'll probably see Simon over there, right?"

With a smirk, he responded, "Probably. We'll just have to say hello to an old friend, then!"

She gave a snort, and then appeared to recall something. "Oh! Onmund, I nearly forgot! Tolfdir wants me to deliver the staff to him now." She sighed loudly. "I'll be right back, okay? Burnt or not, I really want to eat those potatoes, but let me take care of this one last thing, first, before I forget."

"Okay," he said to her and she disappeared into their bedroom. He started scooping out the potato soup into two separate bowls and tasted it. It tasted burnt, but it was still edible.

Danielle came back a short while later, holding the staff. She stopped in front of the dinner table and sighed, "I can't believe I'm doing this. But here I go."

"Good luck," he said. "Remember, it's out of our hands, now."

She nodded sadly and carried the staff out.

When she returned, they ate their potato soup together and finally came to a decision. They were going to leave the College that very day, taking all of their things with them, and make their way down to Windhelm to stay the night. After they finished eating, they made good on their resolve and began packing their things. Onmund threw everything that he had accumulated in the months he had stayed at the College into a knapsack while Danielle did the same. He opened up the safe in their bedroom and took out all the gold and ingots they had collected. He took out the mask of Morokei, fingering the rough texture of it, remembering the brutal battle that they had undertaken with the dragon priest, and put it into his knapsack. When he finally finished packing, he walked over to Danielle, who was writing a letter at the table. "You have everything packed up, love?"

"Yes, darling," she responded, signing the letter. "I'm just going to leave this letter here for Tolfdir and whomever else to read. I don't think we'll have time to say our goodbyes to everyone. We won't even get to talk to J'zargo and Brelyna, so I have some parting words for them in here, as well."

"They're probably in the Hall of Attainment with Tolfdir right now," he surmised. "And you're right, I'd like to say goodbye to them, but I don't think we can face Tolfdir again."

Standing up from her chair, she picked her knapsack off the floor and she and Onmund stood in the center of the room, gazing at it. "I can't believe this is the last time we'll ever stand here again," she remarked.

"I'm going to miss this place," he commented. "So many memories."

Both of them stood deep in thought for several seconds, remembering all of the moments that were had in those quarters, before finally walking out. They passed by the training hall on their way out, where Phinis was currently teaching his Conjuration class, and they took a brief look into the hall where they had spent their very first days at the College before walking out of there, too. They quickly walked across the courtyard, not wanting to see anyone and finally made it out of the gates.

Onmund turned around, took one last look at it and said, "Goodbye, College. I had a lot of great experiences within your gates." He then turned back around, put his arm around his wife's shoulder, and together, they crossed the bridge into Winterhold. They simply walked past all of the buildings and out onto the open road. They hadn't had time to call a carriage to come pick them up, so they were going to head to Windhelm on foot.

They reached the old city late in the evening, and the streets were quiet. They could see lights and hear noise coming from Candlehearth Hall, though, so they went inside. As soon as they opened the door and stepped in, they were greeted by loud music, voices, and laughter. There was obviously a party going on upstairs. It was just as they had remembered it.

"Come right on in, mages!" Elda, the innkeeper, shouted.

Onmund looked up at her and asked, "Hey, remember us? We're from the College."

Elda squinted at them, and as they neared the counter, her eyes then went wide. "That's right!" she exclaimed. "I remember you two! _You're_ the one who had that spat with Rolff a while back."

Onmund smiled sheepishly, remembering the short, drunken Nord whom he had gotten into a fist-fight with last time they were here.

Elda then continued in a lower voice, "Rolff is actually upstairs right now, so it's best he doesn't see you. There's no telling if he'll remember you or not but I'd rather you not having to find out. So what is it you need? Food? Drink? A room?"

"A room, actually," he answered. "And at least for a couple of nights. We plan on staying here for a while."

"I can do that," she replied.

"Oh, and do you have one with a double bed?" he asked. "We're…married now." Immediately, he felt silly for having to say that but he wanted to make sure that she knew.

With a disappointed sigh, Elda looked at him and said, "You know, I gave our last and only double-bed room to someone already. In fact, he was a young Nord mage just like you!"

"Oh?" Onmund uttered curiously. _I wonder if it was Simon!_ he thought.

"The only room we have left has two single beds, if that's all right," she explained.

"That'll do," he responded. He was disappointed, but there was not much he could do about it. They were only going to be there for a short time, anyway.

"Follow me, then," she said and led them into their room. She then gave them the same rundown that they had gotten from her the last time they stayed there, and then she left the couple alone.

As they began unpacking some of their things, Onmund asked his wife, "Do you think Simon is here? And that the 'young Nord mage' she was talking about was him?"

"It could very well be," Danielle answered. "He might even be upstairs right now."

"I wonder what he needs a double bed for," he remarked. "I'm pretty sure he traveled here alone."

"Who knows?" she shrugged. Looking around her, she then said, "I think this is the same room we stayed in when we were here months ago."

"I think you're right," he agreed, remembering how the beds were on opposite sides of the room like they were now. As the sounds from the party going on upstairs filled their ears, he added, "I remember the noise, too."

Danielle rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Well…despite all that I'm really tired so I think I'll actually get some sleep tonight." She then went up to Onmund and gave him a kiss, saying "goodnight" before turning back around and climbing into the bed on the other side of the room.

Onmund changed into his nightshift and climbed into his bed shortly afterward. He was very tired, as well, so he fell asleep in the midst of all the noise.

He was out cold for the rest of the night, but sometime in the early hours of the morning, he was awakened by his wife's warm body being pressed up against him and he felt her wrap her small arms around him. The party upstairs had long-since ended, so all was quiet except for her light breathing that he could hear and feel on the back of his neck. He was still half-asleep but he smiled and let himself be comforted by her closeness. Suddenly, he became aware of her hand wandering down from his chest to his belt area. She had her hand on his package now, and she was apparently trying to massage it awake. And it was working. Soon, he became very aroused, so he started to turn around so that he could kiss her. As he rolled his body over, suddenly, he heard her squeal, "Agh! Onmund!" And then he heard a thump.

He jerked up to a sitting position, totally bewildered. "Danielle?"

In the darkness, he heard a groan, and then he saw the dark form of his wife getting up from the floor, where he had accidentally pushed her over when he turned his body around on the tiny bed. "Danielle, are you all right?" he whispered frantically. He began scooting over on the bed to make room for her.

"Yes, I'm all right," she muttered, slowly standing up.

"I'm so sorry, love," he apologized to her. "I forgot there was so little room." He then gestured to the small space next to him. "Get back in."

"No, it's okay," she sighed. "I'll just go back to my bed. Be comfortable."

"Aw," he pouted. "I _was_ comfortable with you."

She shook her head at him. "It's too cramped."

He sighed, knowing that his wife was not to be convinced. "All right. Sleep tight, my love. But not too tight."

She laughed a little and then climbed back into her bed. "See you in the morning."

"See you," he said back and lay comfortably on the bed. _I'm going to have a talk with Simon tomorrow and see if he can't trade his double bed with ours,_ he resolved. _I don't see why he needs it, anyway._

Onmund slept for a few hours and then woke up and got dressed. Danielle was just waking up and he went over to her and gave her a kiss. "Good morning, love. I'll be right back. I'm going to go get some breakfast and bring it here. So take your time." He then gave her a warm smile and she nodded. He then went out of the room.

As he entered the hallway, a young woman was coming out of her bedroom. The first thing that met his eyes were a voluptuous pair of shining white breasts barely covered by a low-cut tunic and Onmund's eyes settled on them for about a second too long before meeting the woman's eyes. She had a smirk on her face but said nothing. Feeling his face grow unbelievably hot, he stammered, "E-excuse me," and then blew past her and into the lobby. He stared at the empty front desk for about a second, trying to shake the image that he just saw out of his mind. For about a second, he actually forgot what he came out here for. But then, he remembered and went into the kitchen. Nils, the cook, gave him some fresh rolls and cheese and he took it back to his and Danielle's room. She was now up and dressed and was busy making her bed. When she saw him, she remarked, "Onmund, you're so sweet. Thank you for the breakfast."

He smiled at her and sat beside her on the bed to partake in their rolls and cheese together. He didn't tell her about the young woman that he saw in the hallway.

"So what are we doing today?" Danielle asked him, munching on her roll.

"Well, I was hoping Elda could tell us how we would go about getting an audience with Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak," he answered. "But she's not here in the daytime, it seems. Maybe we could ask around upstairs."

"Okay," she replied.

After they finished their light breakfast, they went out of their room and climbed the stairs up to the second floor. It was strange seeing the place mostly deserted; it was a stark contrast to the noise heard the night before. Onmund saw only two occupants- a man sitting at a table, drinking from a cup and a warrior dressed in Steel Armor sitting at another table in the corner. _I feel like I've seen him before,_ he thought to himself about the warrior. Just then, the warrior said loudly, "Hey! Nord and Breton mage…I recognize you two…"

Onmund's eyes went wide as he remembered, now. "You're that traveling mercenary!" he cried. He had forgotten his name, though. He walked up to him and Danielle followed.

"It's good to see you back in Windhelm again," the mercenary said. "Have a seat."

Onmund smiled and pulled a chair out for Danielle to sit in, and then he sat next to her. "You'll have to forgive me. I remember you, but I don't remember your name!"

"Stenvar," he answered. "You had told me yours, too, but I'm afraid I forgot, as well."

"Onmund," he replied. "And this is my wife, Danielle."

"That's right…" Stenvar remembered. Putting a hand on his chin as if trying to remember something else, he added, "Thought you had told me she _wasn't_ your wife."

With a grin, Onmund responded, "She is now!"

"I'll be damned. Congratulations!"

"Thanks!"

"So what brings you two here to Windhelm?"

"Well…" Onmund hesitated, wondering where to start. "We're both no longer at the College, so we're looking for a place to stay for a while. And…we're trying to see if we can get an audience with the jarl."

"Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak?" Stenvar questioned. "What do you need an audience for?"

Onmund was about to tell him the story about his missing parents, but they were interrupted by someone shouting, "He-ey! Onmund! Danielle! Fancy meeting you here!"

The couple looked up in surprise and saw their old friend, Simon, standing at the top of the stairwell. "Simon!" Onmund exclaimed, standing up.

"So you've finally come to your senses, eh?" Simon remarked, walking over to them.

Onmund just looked at him confused, unsure of what he meant, but Simon now turned towards Stenvar, holding a small bag of some kind, and said to him, "Here's your 50 septims for last night."

"I don't want your money, whelp," Stenvar dismissed with a scowl. He then stood up. Turning to Onmund and Danielle. "Excuse me, but I'll be taking my leave now. Listen, if you want your audience, just walk right into the palace and talk to Jorleif, the steward. He'd be happy to grant you your audience. Nothin' too complicated." Turning to Danielle, he bowed his head forward slightly, saying, "Ma'am," and then he left them.

Onmund and Danielle just stared at Simon, bewildered, as they all sat back down. Simon just had a smile plastered on his face. "What was that about?" Onmund questioned.

"Oh, nothing," Simon answered. "I owed the guy 50 septims for losing a bet with him last night. No big deal."

"Uh, okay," Onmund replied uncertainly, not wanting to pry further. "So what are you doing here?"

"You know very well what I'm doing out here," Simon stated. "This morning, I will be marching into the Palace of the Kings and leaving as the newest member of the Stormcloaks. You are, too, I'm gathering? And Danielle, it's so good to see your friendly face again. Here to support your husband?"

"We're not here to join the Stormcloaks," Onmund corrected him. "We're just here because I want to ask the jarl for a favor." _Man, Simon sure is different than how I remembered him before,_ he observed. _All of a sudden, he seems so much more outgoing and talkative. Does he just feel more in his element out here than at the College, perhaps?_

"You still bowing to that old windbag of a wizard?" Simon asked incredulously. "When is he going to come to his senses and realize that talking politics is never going to solve anything?"

"We're not _bowing_ to him anymore," Onmund told him, starting to feel somewhat irritated by his attitude. "Danielle and I are no longer part of the College. We left."

"Wow, really? You left the College?" Simon looked back and forth between Onmund and Danielle for a moment before finally saying, "Then what _are_ you doing out here? What do you want to talk to the jarl for?"

"I just have a personal favor to ask of him, that's all," Onmund responded. He really didn't feel like divulging him in all of the details.

Simon just stared at Onmund with a look on his face as if Onmund were a child who had just made an egregious request. He then spoke, "A favor? You're going to ask Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak, the next High King of Skyrim, for a favor?" Resting an elbow on the table, he asked, "What's the favor, may I ask?"

Onmund threw up his hands in defeat, visibly annoyed. "You know what? It's none of your business," he sputtered. He then stood up. "Come on, Danielle. Let's go to the palace now, and get this over with. Stenvar said that we could just walk in."

Danielle stood up, obviously tired of this conversation, as well.

Simon stood up, too. "Then, let me go with you. I was going over there now, anyway."

Onmund sighed, but didn't protest. Together, the three mages left the inn and made their way to the palace walls. A couple of guards stopped them at the door and asked, "State your business."

"We're here to enlist as battlemages," Simon answered, and before Onmund could speak, the guard nodded and said, "You may enter."

* * *

_**A/N:** This has got to be Onmund's worst nightmare- to be kicked out of the College. But he couldn't have seriously thought he would stay there forever, would he? People like him were made for bigger and better things. Which leads me to my question- does everyone now have an idea what side of the Civil War I'm putting these guys on? If it's still not clear yet, don't worry- I intend to make it a gradual process because decisions like this are never easy, and of course not without their consequences, as well. That's sort of the overarching theme of this story- that every decision has its consequence. Told ya this would be a deeper and darker story than Fire and Lightning! =)_

_To M: Thank you for that warning, BTW! It _is_ absolutely better to be safe than sorry, hence my decision to create my Tumblr blog for non-story elements._


	7. Windhelm

After they crossed the threshold into the palace, it took a while for their eyes to adjust. The hall before them was huge. There was a long dining table in the middle where a row of empty plates and goblets were set. At the other end of the room, there was a set of steps leading up to the throne, which at the present time, was empty. In fact, it was now that they realized that the three of them were all alone in the hall.

"Where is everyone?" Danielle whispered.

"Let's go see," Simon said and began walking towards the front of the hall.

Onmund and Danielle followed him, and as they neared the throne, they heard faint voices coming from nearby. Onmund turned his head toward the door to his left and he could distinctly tell that the voices were coming from in there. Danielle followed his gaze and they exchanged uncertain looks. As Onmund turned his head to look all around the hall, he finally looked back at the front and was horrified to see Simon ascending the steps and setting himself down on the throne. "Simon!" he hissed. "What are you doing?! Get off there!"

Simon propped his elbow up on the armrest and rested his chin on his hand, looking at Onmund with a smug gaze. Onmund was getting more and more frantic, gesturing wildly at him to get up off of the jarl's throne. Simon finally obliged and stood up, descending down to him, all the while laughing at himself.

"What in Oblivion is wrong with you?!" Onmund rasped.

Simon just gave him a goofy grin in reply. Just then, the door to their left opened- the one that they had heard voices in, and two guards came out. They stopped short at the sight of the three mages and one of them demanded, "Who are you?"

"Um, we're here to speak with Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak," Onmund answered.

"Speak to the steward," the guard said impatiently, and as if on cue, a man dressed in expensive robes stepped out and asked them, "You wish to speak with the jarl?"

"We're here to enlist as battlemages," Simon explained.

"Uh, _he_ is," Onmund quickly jumped in. "My wife and I…we just want to speak with the jarl about something."

The steward, whose name Onmund guessed was Jorleif, crossed his arms and said, "Speak."

Not entirely sure what he should do in his situation, Onmund became nervous and stammered, "W-w-well, you see…I-I just wanted to ask the jarl…if it was possible to-"

"What is going on out here?" a gravelly voice broke in. Another figure appeared out of the doorway, and Onmund's eyes went wide as he saw a live bear lumber into view. The bear's mouth was gaping wide open, and his whole body froze for a moment before he realized that there was a man under all of that bear fur and skin. He had a thick, blonde beard tied at the end in a knot and fierce-looking eyes. "Mages!" the man exclaimed, and looked back at Jorleif in disgust. "Are these the new recruits?"

"I'm thinking so," Jorleif replied.

The bear-man looked back at the three mages and narrowed his eyes. "Hmmm…"

By now, Onmund felt like he was going to panic if he didn't make his intentions clear, soon. He spoke up, "W-wait. I'm just here because I need to speak with Jarl Ulfric! I'm not here to join the-"

"You!" the bear-man shouted, pointing directly at Onmund.

Onmund immediately shut his mouth, and the bear-man walked up to him, stopping directly in front of his face. He could see the warrior's steely blue eyes clearly now, and all of the scars on his biceps from countless blows of various weapons.

"Where were you born?" the bear-man asked him.

Onmund gulped, and responded, "H-Half-Moon Farm. In Falkreath."

"You have the eyes of a Nord, but the tongue of an elf," the man commented. "If you wish to speak with Ulfric, then you need to learn to control that stuttering, do you understand?"

"Yes," he enunciated fearfully.

The bear-man glared at him one last time and then walked up to Danielle. "You. Why's a Breton want to fight for Skyrim?"

Now it was Danielle's turn to look surprised, and Onmund was afraid to speak up for her, so he just watched her respond carefully, "Skyrim…is home to more than just Nords."

The bear-man nodded. "Fair enough. But are you willing to die for your home?"

Danielle hesitated for a moment before answering, "I'm always willing to die for my home."

"All right," the bear-man responded. "And you…" He now looked at Simon and walked up to him. "Where were you born?"

"In Riverwood," he answered.

"You look like someone I've seen before," the man growled.

"I'm the son of Stilvar Bear-Skinner," Simon replied.

"The one who perished on the 19th of Rain's Hand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Aye. Unfortunate whelp, are you. And to have taken on those _priests'_ robes instead of wearing the armor of a _true_ Nord."

At this, Simon said nothing, and Onmund became confused, but was too petrified to speak.

The bear-man now looked at all three mages, seeming to inspect them for a moment, before finally speaking, "Two Nords and a Breton." He then began to pace back and forth, continuing, "This should be amusing. But before I can put you mages to use, I need to know how much you can take. I have a little test for you."

_A test?_ Onmund wondered. _Oh, no, this doesn't sound good…_ The man looked at the mages expectantly and Onmund dared to ask, trying not to stutter as much as possible, "What kind of test?"

The bear-man grinned, and Onmund could see that he was missing some teeth and the ones that he had were severely discolored. It unsettled him even more for some reason. "I'm sending you mages to Serpentstone Island."

At this, Onmund gulped. He hadn't heard of the island, but the name of it didn't sound very welcoming. The man seemed to sense that the mages were uneasy about it and it seemed to amuse him even more, much to Onmund's chagrin.

"If you survive, you pass," the bear-man continued. "If you die, well…you weren't going to be much use to me anyway."

"What's at Serpentstone Island?" Simon asked. Onmund was wondering the same thing but wasn't sure he really wanted to find out now.

"It's where men have tested their mettle for ages," the man replied. "There's a strange rock formation, built by the ancients. Something about that place attracts the Ice Wraiths. You kill an Ice Wraith out there, and I'll have all the proof I need about you."

_An Ice Wraith?_ Onmund thought. _I've heard of those before._ _And in fact, those Magic Anomalies that Danielle and I had battled at the College months ago are kind of like those. Oh, Kyne, those were a pain…_

"We'll be back soon, then," Simon responded confidently.

The bear-man chuckled a little and then said, "We'll see about that, won't we?" He gave them a smug grin and turned around to go back into the room he came from, leaving Simon, Onmund, and Danielle standing there in the great hall with Jorleif. The two guards had taken their places at the door.

"Try not to die," Jorleif spoke. "I'm surprised Galmar didn't give you any potions to help you. I suppose he thinks mages are capable of handling that stuff by themselves."

"Um, sir?" Onmund piped up, getting worried. "If you don't mind my asking, why exactly are we being tested?"

"Have you been listening?" Simon jumped in. "He wants to see if we're Stormcloak material!"

Jorleif grunted in agreement.

"Wait, _I'm_ not wanting to join the Stormcloaks!" Onmund protested.

"Then, what are you doing here?" Jorleif demanded.

Onmund suppressed a sigh, but immediately responded, "My wife and I are here to get an audience with the jarl, that's all. It concerns my family."

"Pass the test, and you'll get your audience with Ulfric," Jorleif simply said.

Onmund opened his mouth to speak again, but decided against it. How could he argue with the jarl's steward? Yet somehow, he didn't think that it was necessary for him to undergo this test just to see the jarl. Either way, he had no choice but to comply. The three of them finally took their leave and exited the palace.

As soon as they were out of earshot of the guards, Onmund turned to Simon and hissed, "Simon, this is all _your_ fault! Now I may never get my audience with the jarl!"

"Hey, I wasn't the one stuttering and having communication problems," Simon responded nonchalantly.

"You know, if I didn't still honor the College Rules and Regulations, I would strangle you right now," he threatened.

"Easy, brother," Simon urged. He then looked at Danielle and said, "You oughtta control your husband. He's becoming as wild as a sabrecat."

With a frown, Danielle scolded, "Enough, both of you. Isn't it enough that we got ourselves into this mess? As soon as we get our audience with the jarl, we're leaving this city. Simon, you can fight all the wars you want, but we're not getting involved."

"You have to help me kill those Ice Wraiths, though," Simon pointed out. "Or you won't get your audience at all."

"Fine," Onmund replied. "So where is this Serpentstone Island, anyway?"

"The people down at the docks might know," Simon replied. "We'll need a boat anyway, so let's go ask."

The docks of Windhelm were in the far southern part of the city, so they went there to see what they could find. The docks were filled with workers milling about, and crates and boats dotted the edge of the water. Onmund noticed that there were a lot of Argonians that worked here. Some of them stopped to stare at the three mages and he heard one of them grumble something about "damn magic users." Just then, someone's voice was heard above the noise, "Need a ferry, mages?"

They looked and saw a bald man sitting near the water. He began to stand up as the mages walked over to him. "Need a ferry to Dawnstar? Solitude? Only 50 gold and I'll take you there."

"Um, actually…could you take us to Serpentstone Island?" Onmund asked.

"Serpentstone Island?" the ferryman questioned. "All right, who duped you into sailing there? Going there means certain death…"

"The jarl wants us kill an Ice Wraith there," Simon explained. "To prove that we are worthy of being Stormcloaks."

"You? Stormcloaks?" the ferryman asked incredulously. He then looked as if he might burst out laughing.

"Look, will you take us there or not?" Onmund sighed. "All we need is a ride to and back."

"Oh, sure," he answered. "I have no problem ferrying you to that location. I've done it several times before for new recruits like you. But this is the first time I've met a mage who was becoming a Stormcloak. Anyway, it'll only cost you 25 gold since it only takes a few hours to get there. But I'll need your help rowing since there are three of you."

"Here," Simon said and took out the coins that he had in the bag that he was going to give to Stenvar. He handed the coins to the ferryman.

"Thank you," he replied. "Climb on in the boat and man the oars." As everyone began climbing into the boat, he then said to Danielle, "Ma'am, you go ahead and get comfortable. You just enjoy the fresh air and leave the rowing to us men."

Danielle nodded and sat between the ferryman and Onmund. Onmund took the two oars in both hands and at the ferryman's instructions, began rowing them out into the open water. As they began to row northeast along the White River, Onmund turned his head around to say to Simon, "Why do you keep telling everyone that _we're_ joining the Stormcloaks? Danielle and I are _not_ joining!"

"Hey, I don't have time to explain your business every time we're asked," Simon protested. "I'm just trying to keep it simple."

"We won't get there on time if you guys don't pick up the slack!" the ferryman complained.

Onmund immediately regained his rowing rhythm, having gotten distracted. He kept his pace up, but then turned his head around to ask Simon again, "Why are you so bent on joining the Stormcloaks, anyway?" He was now getting a little breathless.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Simon asked back. "I consider myself a true son of Skyrim, and I love this land. I don't want to see it fall to the hands of our enemies."

"But the Empire isn't our enemy," Onmund reasoned. "They won't let Skyrim fall."

"Oh, aren't they?" Simon retorted. "They want to outlaw Talos worship. They want to give our land to the elves. _And_ they wanted to shut down the College, remember?"

"It's the _Thalmor_ who want that," he corrected him. "The Empire does have Skyrim's best interests in mind."

"They do whatever the Thalmor want them to do," Simon quipped. "They want to avoid war with the elves, so they will bow to their will, even if it means giving up Skyrim's best interests. I don't know about you, but I don't want this country's interests being dictated by anyone except those who live in and love this land." At this, Simon stopped rowing so that he could catch his breath.

"I feel the same way as you do," Onmund said as he continued to row. "But there has to be another way than forcibly driving them out of Skyrim."

Still breathless, Simon just lifted his hand and waved it dismissively at him.

"What?" Onmund asked, not understanding.

"No more talking," he uttered. "Just row."

_Fine,_ Onmund sighed inwardly and concentrated on the oars. It _was_ exhausting to talk and row at the same time. He looked at Danielle, who was quietly sitting in front of him, turning her head every once in a while to observe the scenery. He had to admit, it _was_ breathtaking. To his right, he could see a forest of tall pine trees dusted with snow, and to his left, he could see the snowcapped peaks of the northern mountains. Somewhere out there was the College that they had left behind. And out ahead of him was the open sea, shining brightly under the late morning sun. He was disappointed that he didn't get to speak to Ulfric right away about his dilemma, but he supposed that it wasn't going to be easy. He just had no idea that he'd get himself into this situation- having to find and kill an Ice Wraith just to get an audience with the jarl. _Actually, it's all Simon's fault that I'm here,_ he knew. _If he had just let me speak first, then I probably could've gotten a chance to talk to Ulfric today. _He hoped that their "test" could be gotten over with quickly, and that he could talk to the jarl and take Danielle out of Windhelm. They could then go to Whiterun, and possibly live there for a while until they found his family.

They made it out into the open sea by midday, and Onmund's arms were getting tired and sore already. Danielle turned around and asked him if she could take over rowing and let him relax, but he refused. He didn't want her to think that he was weak or less than the man that she thought him to be. So he continued to row through the pain.

They finally reached the island about an hour later. There were icebergs surrounding the island and the ferryman instructed them to row over to the southeast side of the island to avoid hitting them and to find a place to dock. Once they docked their boat, the ferryman said to them, "I tell everyone this, but if you're not back in half an hour, I'm rowing back to the mainland. Good luck and I hope that you come back alive."

_Sheesh, what a tough deal,_ Onmund thought, climbing out of the boat. _But I suppose it's the best he can do. I wonder how many men have died undergoing this test…_He helped Danielle out of the boat and together, they followed Simon, who was already making his way up the hill. When they got near the top, he saw a set of steps leading towards a large rock formation, just like Galmar had described. He and Danielle followed Simon up the steps, and as they neared the formation, he was about to call out to Simon and tell him to get ready to ward when a bluish mist appeared in front of Simon.


	8. Galmar's Test

"Aghh!" Simon cried out as a cloud of frost seemed to engulf him.

Onmund and Danielle sprang into action and ran forward to unleash their spells on the creature. Simon fell to the ground on his knees, desperately struggling to wipe all of the ice off of his face as the two Adept mages fought the Ice Wraith. Onmund struck it repeatedly with Lightning Bolt as Danielle unleashed a stream of Flames every time it flew by her. Soon, the creature exploded, sending ice crystals flying everywhere, and Onmund remembered to turn around and shield his face as the crystals flew at him. Now with everything quiet, Onmund and Danielle ran to Simon and helped him off the ground. His lips, eyebrows, and the tip of his nose were covered with frost and Danielle quickly cast a light healing spell to melt it off of him, and Simon busily wiped away the melted ice off of his face.

"Are you all right?" Onmund asked him.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm all right," Simon sputtered, finally opening his eyes. "Is it dead?"

"It's dead," he confirmed.

Simon coughed, and then he cursed, "Damn, I thought I was going to go blind!"

"The Ice Wraith's frost must've overwhelmed you," Danielle remarked. "But you're okay now."

"Thank you," Simon muttered.

"Well, we did it," Onmund declared. "We killed the Ice Wraith!"

Simon just grunted at him, but then his expression changed and he exclaimed, "Hey, look! A Standing Stone!"

Onmund was about to follow him towards the stone when Danielle grabbed him and whispered urgently into his ear, "Onmund…we should tell Galmar that _he_ killed the Ice Wraith. Or rather, that we _all_ did."

"Do you think he'll believe us?" Onmund asked.

"He will," she insisted. Then with pleading eyes, she added, "I don't want to stay in Windhelm any longer than we have to."

Onmund nodded, remembering the uncomfortable skinny beds and the noisy nightly parties upstairs. "Okay."

She then followed him to where Simon was standing, in front of the stone. "Hey, Onmund, do you understand this symbol? I want to make sure I know what kind of powers this stone has before I take it."

Onmund walked up to the tall and skinny stone and examined it. There was a hole in the middle of it, and just above it was a single symbol- the ancient Nordic word for "paralysis." He had never seen or heard of this particular stone, but he knew about these Standing Stones in general. When he was just honing his skills as a mage under his mentor, Frodrig, he was advised to take the power of the Mage Stone near Riverwood, which allowed him to learn spells faster. Danielle had also taken the power of the same stone when she had first come to Skyrim. He turned to Simon and said, "It means 'paralysis.' So I'm betting that you can gain the power to paralyze an opponent."

Simon raised up his arm to activate the stone, and Onmund immediately jumped in with, "Or it might actually paralyze _you_ if you touch it."

At first, Simon just looked at him uncertainly and Onmund just wanted to tell him to forget about it and head back to the boat, but then he raised his arm up again and proceeded to stick it through the hole. He watched in amazement as the stone began glowing, and a beam of light came down from above and touched the stone. Simon began to glow, too, and Onmund hoped for his sake that it _wouldn't_ paralyze him. After a few seconds, both Simon and the stone went dark, and he took his arm out of the hole, examining it.

"Well?" Onmund asked, hoping it didn't have any detrimental effect.

"I heard an incantation being whispered to me, and I felt some kind of power flood into me," he answered. "I think I just learned a paralysis spell!"

"Cool!" Onmund said.

"Any volunteers to try it out?" he asked, looking at both of them with a mischievous grin.

Onmund prepared to respond with an incredulous reply when Danielle cut in, "You use that spell on me and I will burn your arm off."

"Ooooh!" Simon moaned. "Such hostility! And I thought you were the _nice_ one."

"Sorry," she immediately apologized, looking down at the ground. She then looked up at Onmund and said, "I guess I'm just very tired."

"Hmph, I guess we all are," Simon said, crossing his arms. "Thanks for saving my ass back there. I think you two are definitely Stormcloak material."

"Simon, _you're_ going to tell them that _you_ killed the Ice Wraith," Onmund retorted. "I told you I don't want any part of this."

"How nice of you, brother!" Simon declared with a hint of sarcasm. "But you want your audience with Ulfric, right? Let's say that we all contributed."

"Whatever," Danielle huffed. "Let's go back to the boat."

The three mages left the Serpent Stone and walked back down to the water where the boat was. The ferryman was pleasantly surprised to see that all of them had survived and gladly took them back to the mainland.

They arrived back in Windhelm as it got dark, and they went into the inn, since they thought it was probably too late to report back to Galmar. Simon went upstairs to eat, and Onmund and Danielle went into their room. Danielle immediately began changing into her nightshift and he asked her, "You getting ready for bed already? Don't you want to eat dinner first?"

"I have a headache for some reason," she replied, frowning. "I think I'm just going to go to bed. If you want to hang around with Simon, you go ahead."

"I'd rather hang around with you," he said to her, putting his hands on her shoulders and gently turning her towards him.

With a sigh, she lamented, "Onmund, I haven't been very pleasant to be around lately, I know. I guess I'm just depressed. After leaving the College, and coming here, and then getting into this mess with Simon; it's been taking a toll on me, and I feel like I just need some rest."

"Danielle…" he said gently to her, putting a finger under a chin and tilting her head up to look at him. "You're _always_ pleasant to be around." She managed a small smile, and he continued, "I know you've been unhappy since coming here. It's been frustrating for me, too. And I promise you…as _soon_ as I get to talk to Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak about my family, we're getting out of here. We'll go someplace pleasant, wherever you want. Where do you wanna go?"

She thought for a moment, and then replied, "Whiterun. I'd like to go to Whiterun. I have some friends there. And I know the jarl. He once said to me…that I'd always be welcome back into his city. And that I could be first in line to buy a house there."

"Really?" he asked.

She nodded. "It's expensive, but I bet if we sold some of our ingots and treasures and found some work, we could afford to live there."

With a smile, he brought her closer to him and kissed her on the forehead. "That…sounds like a _great_ idea."

She smiled back at him, and then urged, "You go on upstairs and have fun. I need to get some sleep."

He sighed resignedly and answered, "All right. You sure you don't want me to bring you anything? Some food? Tea?"

"I'm sure," she insisted. "I'll be all right."

"Okay. Sleep tight, my love." He kissed her one last time before leaving her alone in the room. He then made his way upstairs, where more people were starting to gather.

"He-ey!" he heard a voice greet. He turned towards the sound and saw Simon sitting at a large table with a woman next to him. He made his way over to them.

"Where's Danielle?" Simon asked, as Onmund sat down on the chair next to him.

"Uh…" he started, as he looked at the woman sitting on the other side of Simon. He stopped short when he recognized the familiar face and busty build; it was the same woman whom he had seen this morning coming out of one of the bedrooms downstairs. She had long blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and crimson-red lips. He quickly looked back at Simon and continued, "She went to bed. She's not feeling well."

"Aw, that's a shame," Simon remarked. "I wanted to introduce her to my lady-friend here." She gestured towards the woman next to him. "This is Susanna."

Onmund looked back at the woman and she smiled. It wasn't a warm smile but there wasn't necessarily anything strange about it either. But she seemed to narrow her eyes at him. He now noticed that she had on heavy makeup, and he started to wonder how Simon had found this woman. "It's too bad your wife couldn't stay up," she remarked, her voice deep and sultry.

"I'll probably head back downstairs soon," Onmund replied. "I've had a long day."

"I heard," Susanna piped up. "Simon told me about the Ice Wraiths you killed. And you didn't even use any weapons? How intriguing."

"No we didn't use any weapons," he said. "Just spells." He wondered if Simon had told her the truth about who really killed the Ice Wraith, but decided it didn't matter. He was in on the lie, as well, for other reasons.

"Simon here says that he can shoot fire out of his hands," she declared. "What can _you_ do?"

As she gazed at him, he saw a seductive gleam in her eye, and it made him slightly uncomfortable. _What is with this woman?_ he wondered. "I…can shoot sparks out of my hands."

"Onmund's quite the wizard," Simon remarked. "He can do more than he lets on."

"Interesting," Susanna purred. She then stood up. "Well, what do you two gentlemen like to drink? I'm thirsty, so I'll bring you both something, as well."

"Honningbrew Mead, darling," Simon answered.

They both then looked at Onmund, who began getting even more uncomfortable. "Uhh…I'll have some ale, I guess."

She nodded and then walked off before he could change his mind, which he was on the brink of doing. He now no longer felt sure that drinking right now was a good idea. He was around people he didn't necessarily trust.

"So what do you think of her?" Simon asked after she was gone.

"Susanna?" Onmund questioned. "Uh, she's…nice."

Simon grinned. "If you only knew…"

"What does _that_ mean?" he asked.

"Nothing." Simon shook his head. "So…you said that Danielle's not feeling well? Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she'll be all right," he replied. _At least after I get her out of this city,_ he knew. "We've both had a really long couple of days. I mean, we just got here last night."

"So why did you and her leave the College?" Simon asked. "I thought you two liked it there."

"We did," he responded. "But things kind of got…out of hand."

"How so?"

Giving a sigh, he figured that he had no choice but to tell him the truth. "If I tell you, will you promise not to tell anybody? Not even Susanna?"

"Ooh, a juicy secret? Sure, I'll promise."

"You see, I had been keeping a secret from Tolfdir for a really long time," he began to explain. "It had all started during the Eye of Magnus Disaster when Danielle and I went to go retrieve the Staff of Magnus from Labyrinthian. We encountered one of Ancano's lackeys there by the name of Estormo."

"I remember hearing about that," Simon said. "You said he was killed in the wilderness?"

Onmund shook his head.

"No?" Simon questioned.

"No," he answered. "I did. _I_ killed him."

Simon's eyes went wide. "You? You killed…an elf?"

He nodded. "In self-defense," he quickly added. "Estormo attacked me and Danielle first, took the staff from us, and rendered our spells useless. I did what anyone else in my situation would've done."

"Well, how did you do it if you couldn't cast any spells? Did you have any weapons?"

"No."

"Then…how?"

Onmund just shrugged and held out his hands in front of him.

"You…you did it with your bare hands?" Simon asked incredulously.

He nodded again.

"Whoa…Onmund…brother…" Putting a hand over his mouth, he started to smile ridiculously. "I never knew you had it _in_ you!"

"Lemme get one thing straight," he insisted. "I am _not_ proud of what I did, okay?"

Simon let out a little chuckle and asked, "But why? If I were a warrior…hell, if I were Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak, himself, I would say that you are the one of the deadliest and bravest Nords this side of the Velothi Mountains!"

"No," Onmund protested. "Don't say that. I'm not an elf-killer. Anyway, you wanna hear the rest of the story or not?"

"Of course. Go on."

"So anyway, when I finally told Tolfdir the truth about what really happened to Estormo, he was furious. He had a talk with me and Danielle, and we kind of got sidetracked, but he ended up wanting to give the staff to the Thalmor to ensure peace with them. From that experience, I told him that it was a bad idea but he wouldn't listen to me. I guess I should've stopped while I was ahead, but I kept arguing with him, and he eventually told me that that I was no longer welcome at the College."

"Oh," Simon said in surprise. "So what? He kicked you and Danielle out?"

"He kicked _me_ out," he corrected him. "Danielle quit on her own. She didn't want to give the staff to the Thalmor either, but since our opinions didn't matter to Tolfdir, he went and gave the staff to them anyway."

"So why did you come here?" Simon asked. "Why do you want to talk to Ulfric? Are you going to ask him to help the College?"

"No," he answered. "The audience with Ulfric is for a completely different reason."

"What's that?"

"I'd rather not tell you right now. It's kind of a private matter. Maybe next time."

"Tomorrow I'll be joining the Stormcloaks and going with them to the front," Simon said. "You may never get your chance."

Onmund sighed, realizing that he was right. Nonetheless, it was another long story and he knew that Susanna was going to return at any minute, and he really didn't want her to hear it. "It's okay. It's really of no importance to you. Actually, there was something I wanted to ask you before Susanna gets back…"

"What is it?"

"Does your room have a double bed?"

"Yes. It's the _only_ room with a double bed. Why?"

"Can Danielle and I trade you?"

"How many beds does your room have?"

"Two singles."

"What else will you give me?"

Raising his hands up incredulously, Onmund questioned, "What else do you want? You don't _need_ a double bed, anyway!"

"Oh, but I do," Simon insisted. "Susanna is very picky."

"What?!" Onmund cried, dumbfounded. "You're not married to her. Why does she have to sleep with you in _your_ room?"

"Are you really that naïve, Onmund, that I have to explain it to you?" Simon inquired annoyedly.

Disgusted, Onmund shook his head and responded, "No, I'm not that naïve. I just thought you might show some sympathy to me and my wife."

"I _do_ have sympathy," Simon said. "That is why when I check out tomorrow, I'll tell Elda that I'm giving my room to you. When I'm gone, you can have the room for as long as you want."

"Ugh," he uttered in frustration. "Okay, forget it. Danielle and I are not staying in Windhelm past tomorrow, anyway. As soon as I talk to Ulfric, we're leaving."

Just then, Susanna appeared with drinks in hand. She put the tankards and bottles down in front of the two mages and then sat back down next to Simon.

"Thank you, Susie," Simon said sweetly.

"Ugh, I told you I hate that name!" she spat, slapping him on the arm.

"Ow!" Simon cried, and started laughing. "Sorry, honey."

"You're going to get it later," she scolded.

"Ooh, tell me how," Simon said in a playful tone.

Onmund suddenly cleared his throat loudly, not wanting this exchange to continue in front of him. "You know what? I think I'm starting to get a headache, too." He then stood up, picking up the bottle of ale. "I'll just take this with me to my room."

"Leaving already?" Simon asked.

"Yeah," he responded. "I'll just be heading to bed. Thank you for the drink, Susanna. Goodnight, you two."

"All right, goodnight," Simon and Susanna told him, and Onmund left them.

He went back downstairs and into his and Danielle's room. He then set the bottle down, which he still hadn't opened, and looked over at Danielle, sleeping soundly in her small bed in the corner. _That Simon,_ he thought with frustration. _Such a selfish, indulgent bastard._ For but a moment, he thought about moving his bed across the room to join with Danielle's, but figured it would make too much noise and wake her up, scraping across the floor and everything, so he decided against it. He couldn't wait to get out of Windhelm. _I sure hope we get to meet Ulfric tomorrow,_ he thought. He began removing his robes and when he was nearly naked, he gazed back at his wife's sleeping form, and a rogue thought crept into his mind. They hadn't made love for three days, and to Onmund, it felt like _forever_. It was embarrassing to think about, but he now had an inkling as to why they had both become so irritable. It wasn't just Simon and other people making them that way. He started walking quietly over to her bed, and for a moment, thought about climbing in with her and seeing if he could coax her awake to have a little romp, but then decided against it as he watched her still body sleeping so peacefully. _She really does need her sleep, _he knew. _I don't think she'd be too happy to be woken up right now, even for _that_. _He then turned around and went back to his bed. Putting his nightshift on, he climbed into it and stared at the ceiling for a while. The image of Danielle in the sheer, blue robe she had worn a few days ago threatened to creep into his mind and he tried to force them away. And then the image of Susanna's voluptuous breasts threatened to intrude his thoughts, as well, and he tried even harder to force those away. Fortunately, sleep came to him before his thoughts could get too carried away.


	9. Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak

The next morning, when both Onmund and Danielle woke up, they felt slightly more refreshed than they had the previous morning. They got dressed and went out of the inn straight to the Palace of the Kings. They didn't bother to look for Simon, first, to go with them. When they went inside the palace, they saw that the great hall was nearly empty again, with only two guards and Jorleif present.

"Come forward, mages," Jorleif said to them.

Onmund and Danielle walked towards the front of them, and as they neared the throne, they could hear voices in the side room again. Ignoring them, Onmund said to Jorleif, "We have killed the Ice Wraith."

"Ah," Jorleif responded, crossing his arms. "And I take it your third friend didn't make it?"

"Oh, he made it all right," Onmund replied, thinking of Simon and the lie that they had to tell. "He helped us kill the Ice Wraith, too. Danielle and I are just here for our audience with the jarl."

"It shall be granted," the steward responded. "Wait here."

The two mages obeyed and stood where they were while Jorleif left them to go into the side room where the voices were coming from. Onmund was anxious with anticipation. He was finally getting his chance to speak with Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak once and for all, and it made him feel excited, but also at the same time, nervous. He had thought about what his first words to the jarl were going to be, but he had no idea what to expect as a response. _Will Ulfric be a nice and accommodating jarl? _he wondered. _Or will he be mean and stubborn? What if he refuses to help me?_ Without realizing it, he had taken a hold of Danielle's hand, and he could feel the sweat and clamminess build up. But as squeamish as he knew his wife could get, she didn't let go of him.

He now saw three forms begin to make their way out of the side room, and as they came into view, he recognized Jorleif, who was then followed by the bear-man, Galmar. He noticed Galmar look at him and his wife and…was that a small smile starting to form on his face? He had no time to mull over it, as he saw the third figure come into view, a man whom he had never seen before but whom he immediately guessed was the jarl himself, Ulfric Stormcloak.

Onmund watched quietly and nervously as Ulfric walked towards the throne, and Galmar and Jorleif took their places on both sides of it. He had never seen a jarl like him before. He was wearing armor made of steel and fabric and over it was a thick robe embellished with more steel and long furs. His blonde hair was matted and long, with braids coming down behind his ears. He had a large nose and prominent jaw, which was outlined with a thick but well-groomed yellow beard. He was the epitome of Nordic wilderness and royal refinery all rolled into one.

Now, seated at the throne, Ulfric looked at the two mages and spoke, "Come forward." His voice was deep and full.

Onmund and Danielle, still hand-in-hand, took a few steps forward towards the jarl of Windhelm. Ulfric's hazel eyes focused on his with purpose and inquiry, and Onmund felt like his very soul was being searched with those eyes, but he was overcome with a sense of calm despite the situation.

"What is your name?" Ulfric asked him.

"My name is Onmund Branch-Breaker," he answered, with no danger of stuttering. "Son of Handalf and Aska Branch-Breaker."

"Where are you from?" Ulfric asked.

"I'm from Half-Moon Farm," he answered.

"And your wife, what is _her_ name?"

"Her name is Danielle," he replied, not daring to ask how he knew that she was his wife. So far, he was the first person to recognize her as such upon first meeting, other than Stenvar, who had actually got it wrong _his_ first time. "Daughter of Faric and Sylvia Sweeting of Daggerfall."

"I believe we've already met," Danielle said confidently.

"Is that so…?" Ulfric questioned. Leaning forward in his chair, he examined her more closely. "You were…that Breton with us at Helgen, then. Destined for the chopping block if I'm not mistaken."

"I was set free," she explained. "I joined the College of Winterhold and met my husband there."

"An interesting path," he remarked. "Not everyone can say they made it out of Helgen. Seems we're all branded villains these days…And not everyone can say that they killed an Ice Wraith without using weapons. You two vanquished the Ice Wraith on Serpentstone Island?"

"Yes, sir," she answered. "And a third who was with us helped, too. His name is Simon Bear-Skinner."

"And where is this Simon Bear-Skinner?"

"At Candlehearth Hall most likely, sir," she responded. "We came to Windhelm separately."

"I see," the jarl mused, leaning back and rubbing his beard. "Well, Galmar now owes me a drink. He didn't believe that you'd make it out there on that island." He glanced over at Galmar and gave him a smirk before looking back at the mages. "So…I hear that Simon is interested in fighting in my army. I sent out a call to Winterhold, looking for some mages with enough mettle and skill. I didn't expect a large response, but now I have three mages knocking on my door, with one of them wanting to answer to that call. You, Onmund, and your wife, Danielle, are you skilled in battle?"

Onmund gulped, not sure where this was going, so he chose his words carefully. "We have done battle with and defeated various foes during our tenure at the College, yes. It was part of our training."

"Danielle, are you a citizen of Skyrim?" he asked, looking at her now.

"Yes, sir, I consider myself a citizen," Danielle responded. "After I was set free, I lived in Whiterun, Riften, and finally, Winterhold, before I came here with my husband."

"So, may I ask," he began, now looking at both of the mages in turn, "why two College mages who read my letter in Winterhold, and who are both skilled in battle and who are either born here in Skyrim or have lived here long enough to grow their roots, have not expressed interest in joining my army as battlemages?"

Onmund now felt like a rat in a trap. First, he looked at Jorleif, then at Galmar, and he was sure that Danielle was as tongue-tied as he was. _He really expects me to answer that?_ he wondered. _Now what am I going to say?_ "Sir…" he began, now afraid that he _was_ going to start stuttering, "I came here with my wife…for one reason and one reason only." The jarl continued to look at him expectantly, with not an ounce of impatience. "And that is…to get help for my family."

Ulfric raised his head up with curiosity, and Onmund now felt like he regained his confidence to continue. "Half-Moon Farm…was raided by the Thalmor several months back. My parents were able to get out before the attack. And now I have reason to believe that they are currently in hiding somewhere. Where, I don't even have a clue. But I know that they are alive and well. I came here to seek your help…in finding them."

Ulfric now scrunched his face in confusion and looked over at Galmar, who gave him a confused look, as well. Before Ulfric could speak, Galmar piped up, "Why did you think Ulfric could help you with this matter?"

Licking his lips nervously, Onmund replied, "B-because he's the-" and he stopped himself before he could finish with "next High King of Skyrim."

"What was that?" Galmar asked.

Onmund was at a loss. He really wasn't sure _why_ he thought Ulfric of all people could help him. For some reason, it seemed like a really good idea at the time to come ask him for help. But he wasn't sure why he thought of him. Part of it was because he was itching to meet the leader of the Stormcloak rebellion in person, and part of it was also that Ulfric in his mind had been made out into a savior – the solution to all of Skyrim's and his problems. But he never realized that he'd be put on the spot like this, to give _his_ answer to that question, and he should've known better. _Why _do_ I think that Ulfric and no one else can help me?_

"I-I just…had a hunch," Onmund finally answered.

"A hunch?" Ulfric now questioned. He looked at Onmund with a non-condescending stare. For the first time, he felt like he was really talking to the man on his level.

He took advantage of this and said, "I was just wondering if it would be possible to send a search effort to look for my family. They are probably not the only ones hiding in fear of the Thalmor. There are many others. I know this because…that is why Danielle and I left the College."

Ulfric seemed to ponder this for a second before leaning forward and saying, "Tell me something. Why have you not asked the jarl of Falkreath to help you? Your family was within his jurisdiction."

Onmund nodded inwardly. _A valid question,_ he thought to himself, remembering Jarl Siddgeir. It was his uncle, Dengeir of Stuhn, who had told them not to, basically. But Onmund knew that Ulfric would not accept that answer. And he knew that that was not the answer within his heart. He finally responded, "Because he's loyal to the Empire. And I don't believe the Empire could help us."

"Couldn't or wouldn't?" Jorleif spoke up.

"They _wouldn't_ help us," Onmund corrected himself. "Actually, the Thalmor had good reason to raid that village. Many of the village's people worshipped Talos, including my family."

"And you, do you worship the Nine Divines?" Ulfric asked.

"I'm sort of irreligious, myself," Onmund admitted. "I was not a very good son to my parents. I rebelled against their wishes to become a farmer in order to learn magic and join the College."

"Then why do you want to help them?" Galmar questioned.

"Because they're still my family," he responded. "And I worry about their safety. I also worry about the safety of others who will suffer and who have _already_ suffered the same fate from the Thalmor. I don't believe the Thalmor have a right to raid and destroy our villages or dictate what we can and cannot do. I want my land to be free from oppression and terror." He now realized that he had gotten so carried away that he practically delivered a speech. It was basically preaching to the choir, but nonetheless, he felt embarrassed.

"You…" Galmar said, appearing roused, "are most strange. The strangest boy I've seen in years. You have the eyes and heart of a Nord yet you wear those _priest's_ robes and study that magical nonsense. And you talk of family and tradition and freedom. I have never seen a mage _or_ a Nord like you."

After this, there was an interruption as the door to the outside opened, and everyone turned to see who it was. It was Simon who had just walked in, and he had a ridiculously solemn look as he started coming forward.

"Are you Simon Bear-Skinner?" Galmar questioned.

"That I am," Simon replied.

"Step forward!" Galmar said.

Simon came up and joined the group in front, and when he saw the jarl, he bowed and said reverently, "Your Highness, next High King of Skyrim, I am honored to be in your presence."

"Explain your robes to me, Simon Bear-Skinner," Ulfric said to him. "Those colors are different from Onmund and Danielle's robes. Is that a differentiation of rank at the College?"

"Yes, your Highness," Simon replied. "The robes that I'm wearing are for Novice mages. Onmund and Danielle are Adepts."

"I'm guessing by the words that Onmund and Danielle out-rank you?" Ulfric asked.

Simon hesitated for a moment before admitting, "Yes, your Highness. Adept is two levels up from Novice, yes."

"Then explain to me why you are the only one wishing to enlist in my army of battlemages if you've only practiced the magical arts for such a short time, and why these seasoned mages here have not expressed such interest," Ulfric declared.

Onmund couldn't help but smile inwardly. _Ulfric is toying with Simon, I can tell._ It was kind of cruel, but he also had to admit that it was kind of funny, too.

"I do not know the second answer to your question, your Highness," Simon responded. "But _I'm_ here to enlist because I want to fight for you and be part of Skyrim's finest army."

"If you want to fight for me, then you must be able to prove yourself in battle," Ulfric stated.

"I have, your Highness," Simon said. "I killed the Ice Wraith."

"With much help from your comrades, I'm sure," Ulfric guessed, narrowing his eyes. Turning to his housecarl, he then said, "Galmar, take Simon to the war room and have him take the oath. I wish to continue speaking with Onmund and his wife."

Onmund watched as Galmar escorted Simon into the side room, and then he turned back to Ulfric as the jarl said, "Galmar…is right. You _are_ an enigma."

He didn't have anything to say to that so Ulfric continued, "I will grant your request to send a search party for your family."

At this, happiness began to swell within him, and he looked at Danielle and they both smiled excitedly. "Really? You will? Sir…your Highness…you have no idea how much it means to me. Thank you!"

"I think I know," Ulfric remarked. He then thought for a moment and then asked, "Since I am granting you this favor, would you be willing to do something for me?"

"For you?" Onmund questioned. "I…I _am_ in debt to you…"

"You and Danielle, are either of you experienced in exploring barrows or crypts?" Ulfric asked them.

For a moment, he hesitated, not sure where this was going. But then he finally answered, "We _both_ are. We had to do a lot of that while we were at the College." He felt Danielle squeeze his hand and he wondered if admitting that was really a good idea.

"Have you ever heard of the Jagged Crown?" Ulfric asked them.

Onmund exchanged blank looks with Danielle before turning back to the jarl. "No, sir."

"It is an item of legend," Ulfric explained. "But Galmar believes that he has found it, and he wants to send a detachment of soldiers to look for it. It might be helpful to have some experienced mages go with them, as this tomb is no doubt littered with traps and seals of magical origins."

Onmund felt apprehension and uncertainty rise up within him, and he asked carefully, "Where is this tomb?"

"I think I heard him mention Korvanjund," Ulfric answered. "Go speak with him. I'll organize a search party right away for those refugees from Half-Moon. But it would be honorable if you did me this favor."

"Yes, your Highness," he said, and then started to walk away before saying, "And thanks again for helping me find my family." He and Danielle then made their way towards the side room where Galmar and Simon were.

"Korvanjund…where is that?" Danielle asked him.

"It's the ancient Nordic ruin near Nightgate Inn in the Pale," he answered.

"And they think _we_ can help them find this Jagged Crown?" Danielle mused.

He smiled sardonically. "I guess we just can't get away from being dungeon divers." He and Danielle had explored plenty of ruins during their training at the College, and he had his fair share of experiencing the booby traps and other hazards within those ruins. And they never failed to make him cringe every time. _And the Draugr…oh, those dreadful creatures…_Every time he made it out of a ruin alive after fighting Draugrs, he swore that he would never venture into another Nordic ruin again, only to be asked by someone at the College to retrieve some important artifact or alchemy or spell ingredient in one. _And now the jarl of Windhelm is asking me to venture into one and retrieve something for him. I sure hope it's worth it…after all, he _is_ doing me a tremendous favor._

When Onmund and Danielle walked into the room, they saw Galmar and Simon, but they hardly recognized their fellow ex-College student. He was standing in the corner, dressed in a dark blue and brown cuirass and fur gauntlets and boots. It was the armor of a Stormcloak soldier. He was busily adjusting it as the two mages walked in and they looked on in surprise as Galmar asked them, "What did Ulfric tell you?"

"Uh, he asked us to look for the Jagged Crown," Onmund answered. "He said that you knew where to find it."

"So he wants to send the Unblooded and a couple of mages with us to go find it?" Galmar asked. "Fair enough. I've found its final resting place, yes. Can you believe it? Well, I'm almost certain."

"Unblooded?" Onmund questioned. "Who is that?"

Galmar chuckled and then teased, "Don't you recognize your brother here?" He gestured towards Simon and said, "He has taken the oath and is our newest Stormcloak recruit. We call him the Unblooded."

Simon looked up at the mages and then grinned. He walked up to Galmar and proclaimed proudly, "I am at your service, Ulfric's second-in-command."

"Don't forget your helmet," Galmar growled. "Or your skull will be split in two before you get very far."

"Right," Simon replied and walked over to the table and picked up a hide helmet. "Do you have anything stronger than this? Like steel?"

With a hearty laugh, Galmar teased, "What's wrong, Unblooded? Afraid that animal skin will not be sufficient? Listen, you whelp, this helmet," he pointed to his own bear head, "has been more than enough. And I've taken countless blows to the head. Nonetheless, if you want something different, go see the town blacksmith and pay your own coin for something better."

From the tone of Galmar's voice, Onmund could tell that he was already getting impatient with the new recruit. And Simon was not being very easy to deal with, himself.

"All right," Galmar said loudly, looking back at Danielle and Onmund again. "We're headed to Korvanjund. But, if old King Borgas is indeed buried there, we're bound to run into trouble of some kind. The soldiers are already assembling outside the tomb. Now, mages…this should be interesting. Why don't you build up a fire outside for us and conjure up a nice, hot stew to wait for us while we soldiers go look for the crown?"

Onmund looked at him in confusion. "But…Jarl Ulfric said that you would need our help in there."

At this, the housecarl tilted his head back and laughed loudly. Looking back at Onmund, he said, "You should've seen the look on your face. I was only joking with you, brother. You magic-wielders _are_ going to help us down there, too."

"Esh," Onmund sighed, shaking his head. _I should have known a man like Galmar would make jabs like that at mages like me. And you'd think I'd be better prepared for these sorts of comments after hanging around J'zargo for so long._

Still laughing a little, Galmar continued, "You, Danielle, and the Unblooded head to Korvanjund now. I'll meet you there as soon as I'm finished up here."

With that, Onmund, Danielle, and the newly-outfitted Simon walked out of the war room and out of the palace. Back outside, Simon asked, "Can we go visit the blacksmith before we head out? I want to get a new helmet made." He was holding the hide helmet in his hands.

"Sure," Onmund sighed and he and Danielle followed Simon to the Stone Quarter of Windhelm. He and his wife watched impatiently as Simon haggled with the blacksmith there and finally gave him money to forge a new helmet for him. It would be ready the next time he came back here. He also bought an iron sword. As they left the Stone Quarter to finally go out of the city, Simon sheathed his sword, put his hide helmet on, and asked the two mages, "How do I look?"

"Like a Stormcloak," Danielle simply answered.

"You look ridiculous," Onmund remarked. "That helmet is too small for you."

"Are you saying my head is too big?" Simon shot back.

"No," he responded. "Just that that helmet was not made for you. Why don't you just wear your mage's robes? It offers some protection, too."

"Yeah, that material will really keep a sword from piercing through to my skin," Simon quipped sarcastically. "Besides, I have now decided to honor my true heritage and wear the armor that I was born to wear."

He rolled his eyes. "Do you even know how to use a sword?"

"Yes," Simon answered, scowling. He then unsheathed it in a flash and held it out in front of him, causing both Onmund and Danielle to jump back. "I know how to use a sword. My father taught me everything I know."

"All right, I'm sorry," Onmund apologized, holding his hands up defensively. "I was just…making sure." The sword waving in front of his face was making him nervous.

"Hmph," Simon grunted and sheathed his sword again.

They were now heading west as the sun made its way higher into the sky. For several minutes, no one said anything to each other. Remembering what Simon had told Galmar about his father, Onmund felt a little bad for giving him a hard time about his armor so he asked him, "So your father…forgive me for asking but…you said that he died?"

"Yes," Simon responded, no longer showing animosity. "He was killed on the 19th of Rain's Hand. Do you know what happened on the 19th of Rain's Hand, two years ago?"

"No," Onmund shook his head. "What happened?"

"There was a raid on Fort Greymoor near Whiterun," he explained. "A small group of Stormcloak soldiers sought to take the fort and free the prisoners held there by the Imperials. It was a secret operation- not ordered by Galmar or Ulfric. They were going to sneak in through a tunnel and come up inside the fort and take the prisoners out, one-by-one. But before they got very far, they were discovered, and the whole group was taken as prisoners. And then they were executed by the Imperials one-by-one."

"Your father…was in that group?" Onmund asked him.

Simon nodded. "He was their leader."

Onmund nodded in understanding. Simon's father was a Stormcloak. Now, suddenly everything began to make sense- Simon's own desire to become a Stormcloak, his strong, traditional views, and his insistence on wearing the armor of the faction. And his father was dead. He felt truly sorry for his fellow Nord. "I'm sorry," he spoke.

"Don't be," Simon brushed off. "He died fighting for what he believed in. And only now am I beginning to understand…"

"Your mother, is she…is she still alive?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Where is she?"

"In Riverwood."

"Do you ever go back to see her?"

Simon shook his head in the negative.

Onmund was about to ask why, but something on Simon's face told him not to ask any more questions, so he left it as it was. He couldn't guess as to why, and it made him all the more curious, but in a way, he understood. He had had a hard time coming to terms with seeing his parents again after leaving them to join the College. And it wasn't until he had been there over a month before he finally got the courage to try and go see them again. Except that they weren't there. And now he was on the road performing a mission for Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak in order to repay him for agreeing to help him find them. He put his arm around Danielle's shoulder and pulled her close as they continued walking along the path westward.

* * *

_**A/N:** Yeah, so Onmund doesn't have a cool family name like Stone-Fist or Knot-Beard, but I thought it might be a cool/silly way to add a small dimension to his character where he's somewhat ashamed of his heritage. And Simon is just the opposite- he's proud of his Nordic heritage but as you'll see in subsequent chapters, doesn't tout the fact that he knows some magic as something to be proud of._


	10. No Magic

Going past Nightgate Inn, they reached Korvanjund by mid-afternoon, and they found a small camp where a group of Stormcloak soldiers were hanging out. As they neared the camp, some of the soldiers stood up from where they were sitting to stare at them.

"Are those the mages that were sent?" one of them whispered.

"We're here!" Simon announced as they approached the group.

"Are you the newest recruit?" a female soldier walked up to him and asked.

"I am," he responded. "Simon Bear-Skinner of Whiterun."

"I am Ilfhild," the soldier said.

"She's our leader," another soldier explained.

"You will stay close to me and follow my orders, do you understand?" Ilfhild asked Simon.

With a grin, Simon replied, "Yes, ma'am. I'm good at following instructions."

Ilfhild just continued to give him a cold and hard glare, obviously unfazed by his attempt to turn on the charm. As she turned away from him, Onmund piped up, "Uh…what about us? What do you need us to do?"

Ilfhild turned back around to look at the mages. "Just stay towards the back and out of our way. If we need you to investigate something or your powers then we will tell you. But stay in our sight."

"Yes, ma'am," Onmund shrugged as she turned away from them again. _Danielle and I aren't going to get to do much at all during this expedition- not even help fight, it sounds like. Is this really what Ulfric had in mind for his so-called "experienced mages?"_

"Hey, Onmund…" Danielle piped up. "You see that blonde man over there?"

Onmund looked at her and then followed her gaze. She was looking at a tall soldier with long, blonde hair and a beard- the only one not wearing a helmet. "Yeah…who is he?"

"I've _seen_ him before," she started. "I think…I think _he_ was the one who was captured with me and taken to Helgen. And he helped me hide from the dragon when it attacked."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"I am pretty sure," she replied.

"We're just waiting for Galmar," Ilfhild said. "He shall guide us to the location of the crown. And advise on what we should do about those damn Imperials camping out in front of the ruin."

Thus, everyone continued to wait around until Ulfric's housecarl showed up. Simon mingled with the other soldiers while Onmund and Danielle stayed on the outside, talking only to each other. Every once in a while, one of the soldiers would give them a dirty look but they were left alone.

"What are we going to do about those Imperials in front of the ruin?" Danielle whispered to her husband.

With a sigh, Onmund responded, "I imagine we're going on the offensive and attacking. Or, at least, _they_ are anyway."

"I can't believe this…" Danielle sighed.

Soon, Galmar finally showed up. He saluted the leader, saying, "Hail, Ilfhild!"

Ilfhild saluted back and Galmar asked, "What's the situation?"

"Cold as the inside of an ice wraith," she answered. "That and some Imperials are camped out around the entrance."

"Imperials?" Galmar questioned. "What's the Legion doing here? Damn Imperial spies…Well, should be fun for us, at least. Do they know we're here?"

"No, sir," Ilfhild responded. "They're just sitting around, staying nice and warm around their fires."

With a chuckle, Galmar said, "Well, if they're keeping themselves comfortable, let's slip in and send them to their graves that way." He then turned to the rest of the soldiers who had gathered around him and asked them, "Ready to spill some Imperial blood for Skyrim?"

"I'm ready," one of the soldiers declared.

"Let's go get them!" Simon proclaimed.

As Onmund watched the others acknowledge their hunger for Imperial blood, he felt like he was going to panic. _Wait, we didn't sign up for this- Danielle and I! We didn't sign up for a bloody battle with Imperial soldiers!_

"That's what I like to hear," Galmar said proudly. He then turned to Onmund and Danielle. "You! Mages! You will stay here while we clear out those damn Imperials. Wait for my signal. Then come."

"Okay…" Onmund replied.

"Let's go," Galmar ordered and all of the soldiers including Simon ran off with him, and soon Onmund and Danielle were alone.

There was no fire burning in the camp, probably because they didn't want to be seen by the Imperial soldiers camping nearby, and as a cold breeze began to blow, Danielle shivered. Onmund wrapped his arms around her and held her close. Filled with a sense of guilt because this was mostly his fault, he said softly to her, "I'm sorry, love. I know you wanted to go to Whiterun right away." She didn't say anything but continued to cling to his robes. "We're going to soon, though, I promise," he assured. "Once we finish this expedition, we're leaving, never to return again."

Just then, they heard a bunch of shouts erupt in the distance. It was very much like the sounds of war. Onmund turned his head towards the direction of the sounds and declared, "So, it's started…"

Danielle retracted herself from his hold and asked him worriedly, "What if they are all killed out there? I mean, Galmar and Simon and all the other Stormcloaks? What if we never get the signal?"

"Then…then we leave," he said. Something in him, though, threatened to fill him with guilt, especially at the possibility of Simon getting killed. He wasn't exactly their friend, but he was a comrade of sorts, nonetheless. _Danielle's right…what if everyone is killed? What if Simon is killed? Could we really just…leave him behind like that? Or… _He just thought of another, even worse possibility._ What if Simon were captured? He could be taken prisoner by the Imperials and tortured, and we'd just be standing here letting it happen, or worse…walking away and abandoning him…_Suddenly, he looked at Danielle and said urgently, "We can't just _stand_ here, Danielle. We have to help them fight! We can fight! I don't think those soldiers realize that, so that's why they just want us to wait here. But we have to go and help…for Simon's sake."

Danielle looked at him hesitantly. "You think we can do that?"

"We've _got_ to," he insisted. "We can't let Simon get hurt or killed and just walk away from him."

Danielle hesitated for a moment longer before finally saying, "Okay…let's go."

And with that, the two mages took off into a run towards the shouting. As they neared the ruin, the shouts got louder, until they were right up to the edge of it. There was a large, deep hole in the ground, with a set of steps leading down to where the ruin entrance most likely was. And down below at the bottom was a mess of Stormcloak and Imperial soldiers engaged in a frenzied battle. As the sounds of swords and axes hitting each other erupted from below, Onmund motioned for Danielle to follow him as they hid behind some man-made rock formations. From his vantage point, he could make out each of the soldiers and was able to locate Galmar's large bear head down below. But he couldn't distinguish any others.

"Do you see Simon down there?" Danielle whispered frantically.

"No," Onmund whispered back. "I'm looking for him, though. I hope he hasn't already fallen!"

Just then, he heard Ilfhild shout from below, "Simon! Stay back!"

Onmund followed the sound and just as Danielle rasped, "There he is!" he saw him, too. He was kneeling on the ground, as another soldier, whom he guessed was Ilfhild, dueled with an Imperial soldier.

"He looks like he's hurt!" Danielle declared worriedly.

"Damnit!" Onmund cursed. "Come on, Simon…get up." He then started to see some movement out of the corner of his eye. As he shifted his gaze, he saw an Imperial soldier running up a set of stairs from the bottom which led right up to the platform where Simon was. And since Simon's back was turned and Ilfhild was busily engaging another Imperial in battle, he knew that neither of them could see this guy coming. "Shit!"

Danielle looked at him curiously and Onmund watched the Imperial soldier run up onto the platform and started running towards Simon. "Shit, shit, shit. Simon! Simonnn!" His voice was barely above a whisper, but he hoped that he could somehow will Simon or Ilfhild with his mind to turn around and see the soldier coming towards them. But as the soldier began closing in, he knew that no one could hear him. Now, the Imperial soldier was just a sprint away from Simon's back, and he raised his sword and readied it to be planted into his back. At this very same moment, Onmund, in a panic, channeled lightning into his hands and let go of it, sending a bright, jagged bolt of violet lightning down below. It struck the Imperial soldier head-on, and he screamed and crumpled to his knees, finally collapsing limply just behind Simon.

And just like that, everything went silent. The fighting ceased, and both Imperial and Stormcloak soldiers looked up, searching for the source of the lightning bolt. Onmund and Danielle immediately fell to the ground, taking cover, hoping that they weren't seen.

"What was that?" he heard several of the soldiers down below ask.

"Is there a thunderstorm?" was another question that he heard.

"That is no thunderstorm," he heard someone declare loudly and distinctly. There was a long pause before the voice said again loudly, "Someone cast a lightning spell. And it came from those rocks above. Damnit, you filthy Stormcloak hypocrites! Resorting to _magic_ to do your dirty work, eh?"

"What makes you think _we_ commissioned the use of that spell?" another soldier, one of Ilfhild's, no doubt, questioned.

"That spell _killed_ one of our own!" he heard a different Imperial soldier say. "It was aimed right at him!"

"I didn't see it," a gravelly voice declared. It was unmistakably the voice of Galmar. "Prove it."

"I'll prove that you are the most dishonorable, lying, filthy animal that has ever walked in Skyrim, you worthless piece of-"

"Rikke! Rikke!" another man cut in sharply. "Enough! Can't you see we're outnumbered here?"

Rikke, whom Onmund guessed was the woman speaking this whole time, fell silent as the man who cut in began speaking. "We will no longer continue to spill blood here. There is something…unholy about this place. I have already felt it. We were already preparing to clear out, anyway. Let the Stormcloaks experience the evilness of this place on their own and die of their _own_ foolishness." There was a pause before he spoke again, as if he were addressing someone. "Listen, and listen well. There is no treasure or crown to be found here. Only abomination and death."

"We will see about that, Imperial spy," he heard Galmar declare.

At this, all fell quiet again, and the only sounds Onmund could hear were footsteps. He peered around the rock and could make out the forms of Imperial soldiers climbing up the steps out of the hole. There were few of them left. He peered over at Danielle who was also watching the procession of Imperials retreating from Korvanjund and she gave him an uncertain look. They finally disappeared into the trees, heading east. It was then that a shrill whistle pierced the air, and it came from below. Onmund took it as the signal that he and Danielle were supposed to have been waiting for all along.

They quickly emerged from the rocks that they were hiding behind and hurried down the steps into the hole below. All eyes were on the two mages as they approached the group of Stormcloak soldiers. Onmund saw Ilfhild make her way to the front of the group, and she had a strong scowl on her face. Looking first at Onmund and then at Danielle, she demanded, "All right. Which one of you shot that bolt of lightning?"

Not liking the way that she was glaring at his wife, he slowly raised his hand and stammered, "Um, m-me…"

Ilfhild turned her glare back at him and at that moment, Onmund could've sworn that he could feel the daggers shooting out of her eyes at him. She then walked right up to his face and pointed a finger on his chest, hissing, "Listen you…didn't I tell you that you were to _only_ use your powers when I _told_ you?" He felt her press her finger harder and he took a step back, only to be backed up against a wall. She then repeated more firmly, "_Didn't_ I?"

Onmund gulped, wishing at this moment that the wall could swallow him up and hide him from the glowering eyes of the Stormcloak commander. "Y-y-yes, ma'am," he stammered. "Y-you did."

"I didn't become leader of a troop through the use of magic or speaking some meaningless gibberish to make fire come out of my hands," she spoke angrily, still glaring at him from mere inches away. "I had honor! And I and the rest of my soldiers are _not_ going to sacrifice that honor just because we want to show off! Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, a little more calmly. _She's just the typical Nord,_ he knew. There was nothing he could do about that.

"Good," she responded, and took her finger off his chest.

Onmund breathed a sigh of relief and took his weight off the wall as Danielle piped up, "He was not showing off."

"What was that?" Ilfhild questioned.

"He wasn't just showing off," she repeated. "He saved Simon's life. He killed the Imperial just as he was about to kill Simon."

Now it was her turn to receive the daggers from Ilfhild's eyes, but she kept her composure and stood her ground. _How does she do that?_ Onmund wondered with awe. It was one of the many things about his wife that he admired from the day they met, but he guessed that her experience as Arch-Mage only served to strengthen her ability to keep cool in these types of situations. Ilfhild turned her eyes back at Onmund and asked him, "Is that so? What bond do you have with the Unblooded?"

"We…we went to the College, together," he answered. "He is my friend." _Wow, I can't believe I just said that. I never would've said that before. _He looked over at Simon, standing with the rest of the soldiers, but the man just averted his eyes away from him.

"Hmph," Ilfhild huffed. "Precious. But you listen, mage…his College days are over, and you are not his shield-brother anymore. _I_ am. Do you understand? And what I said before about using your powers still stands."

Onmund suppressed a sigh and acknowledged, "I understand."

She gave him one final glare before turning to Galmar and saying, "There are probably more Imperials inside the ruin."

With a chuckle, Galmar said, "They'll never know what hit them, then."

Everyone then proceeded to follow Galmar and Ilfhild to the door of the ruin. And just as Onmund and Danielle were commanded, they stayed at the back of the group.

Just before they went inside, Galmar addressed the troops, "Do not make the mistake of underestimating the Legion. Plenty of them are Nords same as us. We had the advantage of surprise this time, but things won't be so easy from here on out. Enough talk. Let's go kill some Imperials." He then opened the door and led the way inside the ruin.


End file.
